Keep It Simple Sunday

REALLY needed this one today!

Late KISS & two quick projects

I can't believe that it's Wednesday already! I had two cards made on Sunday to share for my KISS post & by the time I was ready to sit down and type it all up, it got CRAZY here! I have dealt with mold in my bedroom (had to have the wall cut out & replaced), had to make sure Cordell was still enrolled for online home school beginning this August (got a phone call from them asking why we had canceled when we DIDN'T - turns out a bitter ex-employee canceled quite a few students out of the system & we were one of them), and trying to keep the boys occupied and out of trouble...all while getting the day-to-day things done. Is summer OVER yet?!? *LOL*

Anyway, here are the cards I made on Sunday. This first one is in Palette Burnt Umber ink, on a natural A2 base, using the tall tree & sentiment from The Angel Company's "Good Timber." It's perfect for masculine cards & this one was for Father's Day.

The next one is using Memento Tuxedo Black ink, colored pencils, an oval punch, and images from TAC's "Garden Joy."
I kept the oval punch, stamped the image, colored & place it inside the card to peek through.
Now the two quick projects I put together last night (for de-stressing purposes) could qualify for a KISS post, too. This first one, I took a 3x3 cut of paper from The Paper Studio's "Mirabelle" mat stack (Hobby Lobby) for the background, a resin sunflower from Jolee's Boutique (lightly rubbed with Vintage Photo Distress Ink) and put them in this already shabby frame. It's weighty too...iron, I think.This one has a 3x3 opening, too & the frame came already whitewashed, just as you see it. I took another piece of paper from "Mirabelle," a raspberry colored chipboard "N" from a boxed set that I had lying around, and a rose from Jolee's Boutique (rubbed lightly with Vintage Photo Distress Ink). Turned out SO PRETTY & I'm glad I found these frames in a drawer while looking for something else (that was never found)! Don't ya love it when that happens? *LOL*
I was going to put these two pieces in my upcoming boutique, but they look really nice sitting around the house, so I think I'm gonna keep 'em! I've got the blue one on my computer armoire here in the she-cave, right where I can see it, and the sunflower is on a bookcase out in my living room.

I'm working on a special gift now, FOR ONE OF YOU, in honor of my blog's 2nd birthday (TODAY!), so be sure to come back & see what I've made. Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

K.I.S.S.

Hey there! Ya doin' allright? Me? Well, the weather's cooler (hanging in the mid-to-upper 60s), the sun's finally shining after 72 hours of rain, thunder, & tornado strength winds, & I got to play in my she-cave this weekend, so I'm doin' just dandy! *LOL*

Here's what I made for you today:
Natural A2 base, images from The Angel Company's Level A hostess set "Swirled Spring Life" (TA3239) stamped in Burnt Umber Palette ink, and the dges lightly distressed with VersaMagic Wheat.

Inside: I used the top of the flower used on front stamped in the lower corner, sentiment from Hostess Level A set "Bless Your Heart" (TA3238) in Palette Burnt Umber and again lightly edged in VersaMagic Wheat. Very simple and very pretty!

Wanna see what I'll be turning into cards later this week while Chris is on a road trip making deliveries/sales for his company?



I really enjoyed just sitting and coloring while the rain fell. And here's that cute kitty that I stamped last week, then colored with OMS & pencils. Isn't he darling?!?
Any guesses what this is for?
I'll let ya know on Tuesday! {insert wicked chuckle here} Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

K.I.S.S.

Told ya I'd be back! *LOL* It got REALLY HOT here earlier (85° inside with the fans on) and I just about lost all of my energy. It's still hot in here & I hope it cools off before bedtime...this chubby chick CANNOT sleep when it's hot! Kinda wish that I could take all of this "winter insulation" and mold it around on my body to where it actually looks GOOD! *ROFL*

I did manage to make 3 simple projects that will look pretty mounted on a card or hanging from a gift.

This first one uses the 2 smaller pieces that I told ya about a couple of days ago out of the "Life So Big" stamp set that is a Limited Edition release from The Angel Company. I took an ATC, stamped the branches in staggered pattern to make the background (Wheat VersaMagic Dew Drop), then stamped the butterfly on randomly (Jumbo Java VersaMagic Dew Drop), and shot it with my newest mix {#6} of homemade glimmer mist.
It looks wet, but that's the shimmer of these mists. I love 'em! I'll share the mix recipes this week on my Helpful Stuff page, along with Tim Holtz's video that I used, for those of you that are interested.
These are just a couple of price tags, like you'd use in a garage sale, stamped with "handstamped by" & "a cherry hello". These are available now AT NO COST TO YOU. That's right, for every $30 you spend, you can choose 1 of 4 different gift-with-purchase stamps. {Handstamped By - Wheat VersaMagic around the edge, image Memento Rich Cocoa} {A Cherry Hello - Memento Ladybug Red, Tuxedo Black, Rich Cocoa, & Ivy Green}

Now, I'm gonna go think cool thoughts & color this little sweetie that arrived last week...
Think I'll use colored pencils & OMS for him....

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

'K! So about Sunday's KISS share...

I messed up. Turns out, that I WAS able to show you the card I made. It's not part of the upcoming catalog release, as I had thought {smacking palm off of forehead here}, but instead it's part of our Jubilation sale that is currently underway.

This is what happens when you have a hubby out on the road for a LONG holiday weekend, two teenagers parading an endless stream of friends through the house (forcing you to put a lock & chain on the refrigerator to keep ANY sort of food for survival), AND a 7 yr old that's as bouncy as the neighbor's chihuaha! The summer widow's brain turns to OATMEAL!! *LOL* Definitely falls under the "MIBAD!" category. Now, with that long-winded apology out of the way, here's what I made for you.....
Isn't it pretty?!? Look at that detail! This is part of a 3 piece Limited Edition set called "Life So Big" (TAC 3282). It's available through the end of June & can be yours for only $3.95, with a qualifying $30 purchase. If you host a $100 FUNshop, or place a $100 personal order through me, you can get the set for FREE. Worth it either way in my book...it's just so elegant. The set has this large piece that I used in my card, a complete butterfly, and a "branch" for edging a project or making a coordinating background. I'll play with those tonight & share them with you ASAP! Here's the complete card:

It's mounted on an A2 base, the ribbon is from the $1 bins at Michaels (2 summers ago), and is stamped in Palette's "Noir Black" ink (available as either a full-size pad -TT220 - for $6.50, or as a 4pk of "spots," along with white, umber, & gray - Escher TT223 - for $7.95).

I've got more to share, but duty calls...MOM duty that is! *LOL* It's time to get the munchkins into bed, toss more laundry into the wash, get another load of dishes washed (we don't have an automatic washer & I absolutely cannot stand waking up to a sink full of dishes), and call it a night. Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

K.I.S.S.

Happy Sunday! I hope you're having a lovely day. The sun is shining, we've transplanted some veg into peat pots & played with the neighbor's new baby chicks. While the boys are at the park with Aidan, I figured I'd make a couple of cards to share with you today. My goal was to get at least two cards out of an 8x8 sheet of cardstock. I really like this textured paper by DCWV, called coral brocade...it's not really orange-y, but more of a grungy, peachy-pink with rusty tones in it. Kinda reminds me of a wallpaper that you'd find in a beach-side bed and breakfast.

For this first one, I used the next to largest square Nestie & cut out a deep coral from DCWV's Spring Mat Stack, then inked the edges with cream & jumbo java chalk inks. I also had a square paper doily that was 8x8...I quartered it, cut the center ground out & misted it with Mix 5 from yesterday's glimmer mist project. I also misted the round tag from MS with the same spray. Now I can stamp on the medallion when I know what I'll use the card for, or just leave it blank.

This one uses a heart doily from the same pack as the square one (I think I got them in the decoupage section of Michael's). I used wheat & pink chalk inks to tone down the bright white & some of the satin ribbon from my first dying experiment.

I'm not sure which one I like best...they both turned out nice. I've got another project to share with you this week, so I hope you come back by. Have a great rest of your day!!

It's still Monday!!

I know I said that I'd be back this morning to share my K.I.S.S. project, but it's been a very busy Monday. Got almost everything done on my "to do" list, too, so I'm feeling pretty good about it. I hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day. Mine was spent here at home, being...well, being Mom. Chris was out with his motorcycle club for a big portion of the day & I stayed home with the boys.

Anyway, sorry to keep y'all waiting....here's the card that I made yesterday:
Background is DCWV textured cardstock called "scratched wallpaper" and has lovely tones of green, gold, cream, & browns, so I let that paper do all the talking & tell me where this card was headed. I took some kraft cardstock, inked the edges of the background and the kraft with my Jumbo Java Dew Drop, a retiring TAC purchase-with-purchase stamp stamped with Rich Cocoa Memento ink, and some dyed satin ribbon that I made last week (I'll share pix of THOSE tomorrow). I tied the bow around the kraft cardstock, cut it with pinking shears & mounted it onto the DCWV cardstock. Took all of 5 minutes to put this card together. A simple & pretty way to tell someone "thank you!"

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

K.I.S.S.

Having a great weekend? Yesterday was a busy day...had a friend come over with his tiller/aerator & help with some trouble spots in the backyard, supervised the boys weeding my front flower beds, laundry...typical crazy Saturday. I've been kinda lazy today...blog surfing & looking at furniture re-dos, recycling & up-cycling, vintage thrifting, and just sitting, listening to the birds outside & coloring digital images for later projects. I did make a card for you using the items pictured here:

The paper (TAC's Rustic Chic) was more of an inspiration than an actual part of the project. I love the colors in it & the grungy feel, but wanted something a little bit softer....more shabby chic. I used my "flourish" Impressability, some white card stock, pink & blue Dew Drops by Tsukeniko & stenciled them onto the card base. Then I rounded the corners & grunged up the card using wheat, sahara sand, jumbo java, & rich cocoa Dew Drops. While those dried, I took one of MS's little round tags (they remind me of doilies!) and colored it with the pink Dew Drop completely, then did the edges lightly with jumbo java.

I stamped the sentiment from "Ordinary Greetings" in two parts with rich cocoa, and....DONE! Quick, easy, grungy, shabby and oh, so pretty! I love it!

A bit of sad news...over the next day or so, I'll be removing the link to my online store with The Angel Company (the shopping cart in the upper left sidebar). I'll still have my wings & will happily take your orders via e-mail, but can't afford right now to extend my store for another year...the economy just won't let me. Hopefully, things will improve to a point that I can reopen it...I just pray that it's sooner than later!

A bit of good news ~~ it's time for the Final Farewells at The Angel Company. From now till June 25th, we are retiring 75 sets, ALL of the purchase-with-purchase sets, AND the hostess sets from the 09-10 Big Book so we can make room for all of the UBER~YUMMY new goodies coming the first of July. I've seen some peeky-poos & CANNOT WAIT to share them with y'all...I'm pretty sure you'll love 'em! You can place your orders online through my store while it's still running, or you can e-mail me (you can qualify for free and 1/2 price items via e-mail).

Off to color some more...thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

K.I.S.S.

Here's tonight's K.I.S.S. and I did it using 100% TAC products. {Hooray, ME! *LOL*} I also want to challenge you to think outside the box...my blogging friend Vicki (aka BasementStamper) was really good at making me look at things in a different way...I'm hoping that I picked up a little sumthin from her! {miss ya, GF!}

My outside-the-box trick tonight is {drumroll} ~~ using the "preview papers" from the TAC packages. Hey! Did someone just yawn?!? I know it might not be a big thing to some of you, but this can be a really nice way to creatively use something that most folks would just toss into the rubbish bin. I took my oval punch to the preview page...

{NOTE: Kamalaht SWIC paper collection is available in my online store ONLY & is limited to stock on hand}

See? Right here...I like this warm gold color. I also really like how this paper collection already has a vintage/grungy feel to it. If you needed a larger piece, but didn't want to cut up the actual sheet yet, you could always cut out the entire square and stamp onto it.
I used the sentiment & oak tree from "Good Timber" stamped in "noir" Palette ink.

The tag & letter stickers are all from the Kamalaht paper pack. The twill can be found here.
And there you have a simple, masculine card that will work for Father's Day or a birthday. I think I'll enter this card over at Frosted Designs Challenge since they're doing trees for the current theme.

Oh! Be sure to check out my "Blog Candy Alerts" page for some yummy offerings. Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

'Bout Time!

My crafting mojo's been dried up for about a week now & I was beginning to wonder if it was going to come back. Last night, though, just as I was ready to shut down the house for the night, it came back to me. Like a semi doing 105mph...in the dark...with NO running lights. *LOL* So, before going to bed, I put together my K.I.S.S. cards:

For this one (above) I figured I'd let the paper do the work. It's from DCWV's "Garden Party" Mat Stack. I stamped the wording with Ranger Distress Vintage Photo, using TAC's level A hostess set "Bless Your Heart" (TA-3238).

Now this one (above), doesn't LOOK simple, but technically it is....IF you have a stash of already-colored images sitting in a box, waiting to be used! *LOL* Dotted background paper is from K&Co, some tan Scrapper's Floss from Karen Foster Designs (via The Angel Company), & Ranger Distress Ink in Vintage Photo. The Gorjuss girl image "Guardian Angel" was stamped onto an ATC a couple of weeks ago & I colored it with pencils & OMS.

Now for the cards that I put together today....

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I LOVE Sarah Kay images - they remind me of Holly Hobbie. They just SCREAM "simple, country life" & they're a joy to color. I used colored pencils (no OMS), two crocheted laces, some antique buttons (thanks, Sharron!), more tan Scrapper's Floss, & two blue roses from Prima. The sweet calico floral background that reminds me of a dress I had as a little girl is from Making Memories.

This one could qualify for K.I.S.S., but I didn't get the stamps till today, when I was at JoAnn's with a friend (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE those $1 bins at the beginning of the month!). Background is from the "Nursery" collection of papers by Prima, the clear mini stamp set is from Inkadinkado, & I inked it with Ranger Vintage Photo.

What can I say about this one? I'm finding a deeper appreciation for Manga, thanks to my boys. I downloaded this digital freebie off of Deviant Art & colored her with pencils (no OMS), inked the edges with Ranger Vintage Photo, then mounted her at an angle onto some K&Co. It looks amazing in real life, & I give all the credit to the Manga artist, Princess Elemmirial, for drawing some lovely images. I'll be playing with them more in the future, that's for sure!

Another sweet Sarah Kay, colored with pencils & OMS, then cut out with my Nesties (Labels Two), trimming it ever-so-slightly along the edges with a Krylon silver leaf pen. Add in a K&Co background paper, some crocheted lace, and you can't lose!

This last one is a nod to my biker hubby. I snagged a vintage ad (sorry I can't remember from where - I can tell you that it was the result of a Google search), colored the printed image with Ranger Distress Inks (Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, & Weathered Wood), then mounted it & a frame of black cardstock onto some K&Co paper.
I really like it! Hope you enjoyed my "share" today. Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

K.I.S.S.

The K.I.S.S. spotlight today is on pretty papers. Sometimes we tend to do too much with a card & there are just so many papers out there today that can stand on their own. I wanted to make the most of some of my GORGEOUS papers from My Mind's Eye - I just adore the vintage, grungy, OLD feel of them, so I kept embellishments to a minimum.

For this first one, I used a lovely soft teal with one of my sheet music rumpled flowers.

This one is a soft aqua & the dotted band was punched using the 1" wide MS doily lace punch.

And these are the tags that I made to replace the white ones in the prayer journal I shared earlier.I'm off to hang out with my guys and watch Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side." Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!