Two Little Words for Friends With Flair

Oh yeah! It's Friday! And time for my favorite post of the week -- Unity Friends With Flair.  This is "my post", a chance to use my favorite stamps, a chance to create what I want, with whatever theme I want.  It's "me" time!

Did any of you choose 'one little word' for a theme for 2014?  I chose 2 words, and they come with a story (as many of my FWF posts do).  Mid-December, I had terrible pain in my left shoulder.  It lasted two days (and 2 sleepless nights), got better, but then the same thing happened to my right shoulder.  I had injured the left shoulder this summer, so I thought I had re-injured it.  I chalked the right shoulder up to over use.  Three days later, my left hand swelled up and had the same terrible pain.  At that point, I freaked out and saw a doctor.  After many blood tests and a couple days of waiting (at which time, my right hand was attacked), she suspected rheumatoid arthritis (RA).  This was something I didn't want to hear.  I've worked in a nursing home for many years and have seen the results of RA.  I DON'T want this!

Since then, I've seen a rheumatologist.  And, he's confirmed the diagnosis.  It's RA.  And, this is where my two little words, and today's card comes in:

These are my two words for this year, and, I hope, for many years to come.  I can take on this chronic illness and make the most of it, looking for the joy in life, or I can let it defeat me.  I've always been a fighter.  And there are lots worse things in life I could have.  Right now, it's the newness of the diagnoses, and not knowing what lies ahead that is hard.  I've started on medication for the debilitating pain and inflammation, but it will take 2-6 months to take effect.  In the meantime, I haven't slept through an entire night since Dec. 11.  But, I will, and this will all get sorted out.  I have confidence! Some days the pain is so bad it hurts to pick up a piece of paper.  But I have confidence we will eventually find the right medicine! And fatigue?  Uff da.  I drag through my days!

Although there may be many major changes ahead for me and my husband, hopefully many things will stay the same.

I used the current sketch from the Unity Be Inspired Challenge for this card. I heat embossed the "Choose Joy" sentiment stamp (Unity/Stephanie Ackerman) and colored in the heart with a Close To My Heart Tulip marker. There is my favorite chipboard on this card -- Umwow Studios Heart Confetti. Sometimes, I just have to leave it plain, 'cause it looks perfect just the way it is.  On one of the hearts, I used some gesso, then 2 colors of Creative Inspirations Paint -- Garnet & a very small amount of Burgundy.

The cardstock base is CTMH Ruby, as is the Kraft CS.  Designer paper is Carta Bella 6x6 Wildflower. And, the twine, is, of course, Timeless Twine in Tuxedo Black.

So, 'Choose Joy' my friends!  CHOOSE JOY!

I did it! 52 Weeks of FWF!

Last January, I made the new year's resolution to link up to Unity's Friends With Flair each week.  Well, 52 weeks later, I'm proud to say, I did it!

I have a few cards to share with you this week.  A couple were on my blog earlier this week, but haven't seen much traffic and they have great Unity stamps, so I'm showing them again, and I made a card today for the Unity "Be Inspired" Challenge.  I'll show you my challenge card first.

I used the card sketch, turned it sideways, and took a little artistic license with it to come up with this:

 

 

I used papers that I got for 99 cents from Unity Stamp Company.  The stamp is a Unity/Stephanie Ackerman co-brand called "Small Things/Great Love".  It is my New Year's advice to you, and a great motto to live by every day of the year! There's also some UmWow Studio chipboard that I embossed with Creative Inspirations Paint Deliquesce Fine Black embossing powder on this card. There's a little paper piecing on the heart.

 

Next, an anniversary card I made a couple weeks ago for my husband:

 

 

On the inside I wrote, "through snow or sleet, our love is complete."  How sappy is that? This card uses the Unity Itty Bitty stamp, Rain or Shine. There's some 3 Girl JAM crinkle ribbon and a 3 Girl JAM Real Life Flair button on this card, too.

 

And, a couple of New Year's cards for you. I made this one for this week's Cutting Café post, but it uses a Unity Fashionista, so I'm sharing it again here:

 

 

This is Anastasia, and she is ready for a party! 

The wine glass cutting file can be found HERE.  It is from The Cutting Café.

 



 

The sentiment is from the Unity Sassy Pants set.

 

I have one more card to leave you with.  No Unity Stamps here, but it's a great card to send you off with:

 

I used more UmWow chipboard, embossed with Creative Inspirations Paint Deliquesce Super Sparkle Gold.  The card is a cutting file from the Silhouette Online Store.  I painted some Gold Creative Inspirations Paint behind the sentiment.

My New Year's resolution for 2014?  I want to get more involved in the Unity FB Show & Tell Group.  I've been missing the fun! And, my more serious New Year's resolution?  I'd like to see if I can go all year without buying any new scrapbook paper.  I HAVE to use up my stash!  This'll be a tough one!!!

 

Happy New Year, everyone!

 



May your Holidays be Filled with Laughter, Love & Joy -- for Creative Inspirations Paint

Happy holidays, my creative friends! I'm posting today on the Creative Inspirations Paint blog.  I love it when I have an excuse to play with my artsy supplies!  This time, I did some die cutting, stamping, and of course, painting.

I started out cutting out a bunch of poinsettia-like looking flowers with my Big Shot, using watercolor paper.  Here's what they looked like:

 

 

Some of them had a stamp set to match, so I stamped them before I die cut them.  It's easier to line everything up that way. Then, I started painting them, using colors that would make them look like a poinsettia.  Here's what they looked like painted:

 

 

I used Garnet (one of December's sale colors!), Evergreen (also on sale at 33% off!), and Green Olive.

 

Then, it was time to put it all together.  Here's what I created with these flowers:

 

 

This 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 inch card was made for the friend who gave me those two beautiful stick pins.  She made me a whole bunch of beautiful beaded stick pins just like these two.  I thought the least I could do was return the favor with a card.

When assembling this card, I used the rule of threes, using 3 poinsettias clusters, 3 leaves, and even 3 red rhinestones.

Here's a close up of the poinsettias and beaded stick pins...

 

 

Supplies used on this project (other than those already listed)

 

Unity Stamp Company "Everything Christmas" Stamp Set

Unity Stamp Company -- Wood Veneer Tags

Heartfelt Creations -- Sun Kissed Fleur Die

Heartfelt Creations -- Striped Sun Kissed Fleur Precut Set

Spellbinders doily

My Mind's Eye

Thanks for visiting today! May your holidays truly be filled with laughter, love & joy!

 

 

 



 

 



Let It Snow! for Creative Inspirations Paint

Hello, blog friends.  I'm posting today on the Creative Inspirations Paint blog.  I have a small home décor piece to share with you today.

It started as a piece of 2x4 wood.  I had a friend cut a bunch of 2x4 scraps for me.  This particular piece of wood measures 2x4x4. With a little paint, a couple stamps, and some fibers, this is what you can make:

 

 

I used acrylic paint on the base, mixing turquoise with a little black so it wasn't quite so stark.  Then, I stamped the snowman and sentiment onto the wood.  They are a Unity/Susan K. Weckesser set called "One of a Kind Winter".  I painted the snowman with Creative Inspiration Paint, using Winter Frost (one of the sale colors for December), Garnet (on sale in December at 33% off), Royal Purple and Orange. 

 

 

I wrapped some white fibers around the top of the wood, removed the legs of a snowflake brad, attached it to the fibers with a glue dot, and my home décor project is done!

 

I hope you like today's re-do of a wood block.  These paints are so versatile, you can make almost anything you can imagine.



A Barrow of Blessings -- for Creative Inspirations Paint

Happy Friday, everyone.  I hope you had a very blessed Thanksgiving.  We have much to be thankful for, don't we?

I'm posting today on the Creative Inspirations Paint blog.  I'm posting a project that my loyal followers may have seen before, but it hasn't been on the CIP blog before.

We spent yesterday noon having Thanksgiving dinner with my father at the assisted living facility where he lives. My father was a carpenter by trade and spent many hours taking care of his yard when he wasn't working.  His yard became even more important to him after he retired.  I wanted to make him a little something to have on the table that he could share with his table mates and friends. With that in mind, I found what I thought would be the perfect Thanksgiving table décor:

 

 

I had this idea for a wheelbarrow, but couldn't find exactly what I wanted, so Regina from The Cutting Café designed this for me so I could have it for today.  My own personal cutting file! I was so excited!  It is a wheelbarrow treat box.  You'll see it better as we go along.  The sentiment is a Joy's Life stamp.  It is from the "It's All Fall Puns" stamp set. Now, for a view of the other side:

 

 

I used the same Joy's Life stamp set, "It's All Fall Puns" on this side of the wheelbarrow, too. The designer papers are Echo Park 6x6 Reflections Fall.  The base is Close To My Heart Kraft cardstock. The leaves are CTMH Colonial White cardstock.   They are a Tim Holtz die.  I painted them with Creative Inspirations Paint to give them those beautiful Fall colors and shine. I used a variety of different Creative Inspirations Paints on the leaves -- Burnt Clay (on sale), Autumn Wheat, Sunshine, and Pumpkin (on sale).

 

Here's a little peek into the box...

 

And, one more view, showing you how big the box is:

 

 

My father had plenty of candy to munch on all Thanksgiving afternoon!

I hope you enjoyed one more Thanksgiving project before we rush headlong into Christmas.  Hang on tight, it'll be a whirlwind month!

 

Autumn Birthday Cards

Hello, my crafty friends.  I'm posting today on the Creative Inspirations Paint blog.  I'm still new enough at this that I get excited and nervous each time I post a project!  Today, I have two birthday cards I made using Creative Inspirations Paint to share with you. They both use the same technique:

 

I started with a white cardstock base.  I used some Studio Calico mists to add some color splatters to the stark white.  Then, I stamped the Unity Stamp Co leaf stamps from the "Grateful Hearts" stamp set randomly on the paper.  I used Close To My Heart inks in Olive, Barn Red, Autumn Terracotta, and Goldrush.  The sentiment, from Close To My Heart, is stamped in Barn Red ink. I then chose paint colors that I thought would compliment the inks, and painted the leaves, using it more like a wash, just to get the shimmer.  I used Creative Inspirations Paint in Rustic Red (on sale!), Green Olive, Pumpkin (on sale!), and Burnt Clay (on sale!).

 

 

Here's another angle of the first card to better show the shimmer...

 

 

I placed a few sparkles from my stash on the card, too, to add a little bling.  This card was one of my husband's birthday cards last month.  He loved it!

His sisters' birthday is a couple weeks after his, and we got together to celebrate them both. Here's the card I gave to her:

 

 

I used the exact same technique on this card, only stamping the random leaves a little differently, and using pearls instead of rhinestones. Don't you love the leaves in the background?  That was our backyard about a month ago.  All the leaves are gone now. :(   Winter's coming.

Here's a view of the shimmer...

 

 

I LOVE this paint! If you haven't tried it yet, you need to treat yourself.  With the sale colors, now's the perfect time!

 



Its Friday, the middle of the month, and Friends with Flair!

Here we are, smack dab in the middle of November.  It's been so cold this week that if I didn't have a calendar in front of me I'd think it's December or even January.  Just a prelude of what's to come!

I so love Fridays and linking up to Unity's Friends With Flair.  And I love spending time throughout my weekend visiting all of the blogs that are linked up.  Such talent and inspiration!  Oh, what fun!

There's a story that goes with today's card.  One of my staff members has had an aging dog that she knew wouldn't make it much longer.  Well, last Sunday was Eddie's day to cross to the Rainbow Bridge.  She called me Sunday evening, too distraught to come to work on Monday, needing one more day to mourn his loss before facing everyone.

When I got home from work on Monday, I made her this card in memory of her English Bulldog, Eddie:

 

I used a new Darice embossing folder to get the paw print background, then painted some of them with Chocolate Creative Inspirations Paint. 

This was the first Phyllis Harris stamp I ever bought, and it's still my favorite.  You'll find it in the Unity Store here.  It's called "First Love".  I colored the image with Copic markers. The sentiment is from a Market Street Stamp set.  It's also one of my favorites, and my "go to" quote for situations like this one.  The paw with wings stamp is part of the MSS set.

Don't forget to check out the Unity Store for this weekend's new releases.  I love the Snow Peeps! I need to get going on making some Christmas cards with them!  OK, I'm off to visit my FWF blogs.  Can't wait!

It's Here! The On The Table Blog Hop for Joy's Life!

If you are looking for the Pinque Peacock "Holidays Are Upon Us" Blog Hop, please click HERE, or scroll down 2 posts.

 

It's the weekend, and the Joy's Life design team is bringing you some Thanksgiving inspiration.  You should have come here from the always talented Dawn's blog.  In case you just stumbled on the hop, here's the whole order:

 

Joy

Maria

Stacey

Dawn

Julie -- you're here!

Laura -- go here next!

Lori

 

We have a very casual Thanksgiving.  My husband and I join my father for his Thanksgiving dinner in the assisted living facility where he lives for the noon meal.  Then, depending on my sister-in-law's schedule, we either join my in-laws for another Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday evening or we get together on the following Saturday to celebrate.  I'm still not sure what the plans are for the in-laws this year, but I know we'll be joining my father.  With that in mind, I wanted something casual to bring to the table to decorate his place setting on Thanksgiving.

My father was a carpenter by trade and spent many hours taking care of his yard when he wasn't working.  His yard became even more important to him after he retired.  With that in mind, I found what I thought would be the perfect Thanksgiving table décor:

 

 

I had this idea for a wheelbarrow, but couldn't find exactly what I wanted, so Regina from The Cutting Café designed this for me so I could have it for today's hop! My own personal cutting file! I was so excited!  It is a wheelbarrow treat box.  You'll see it better as we go along.  The sentiment is a Joy's Life stamp, of COURSE!  It is from the "It's All Fall Puns" stamp set. Now, for a view of the other side:

 

 

I used the same Joy's Life stamp set, "It's All Fall Puns" on this side of the wheelbarrow, too. You can find this adorable stamp set, and all of Joy's wonderful sets, along with some great stamp bundles with free shipping in her store. The designer papers are Echo Park 6x6 Reflections Fall.  The base is Close To My Heart Kraft cardstock. The leaves are CTMH Colonial White cardstock.   They are a Tim Holtz die.  I painted them with Creative Inspirations Paint to give them those beautiful Fall colors and shine.

Here's a little peek into the box...

 

 

 

And, one more view, showing you how big the box is:

 

 

My father will have plenty of candy to munch on all Thanksgiving afternoon!

Now, speaking of candy, how about some blog candy?

First, I have unclaimed winnings from last month's hop.  Teresa K., you are the winner.  Please let me know how to send you your goodies.

I have more blog candy for this month's hop -- a 6x6 pad of paper, some bling, brads, ribbon, and stamps.  To be eligible to win, please follow my blog and leave a comment on this post.  I will announce the winner with my Joy's Life post on Monday, Nov. 11.

I have a recipe to share with you also.  Wild rice is part of our Thanksgiving tradition, and this is one of our favorite ways to enjoy it:

 

Wild Rice Pilaf

 

1. 1/2 c. wild rice & 3/4 c. water. Bring to a boil -- strain.  Do this 2 times.

2. Take the wild rice, add:  1/2 c. white rice

                                            2 c. water

                                            1 bouillion cube or tsp. bouillion

3. Bring to a boil, simmer 40 min.

4. Meanwhile, brown in butter (2T) 1 lb. fresh mushrooms

                                                          1/2 c. slivered almonds

 

Enjoy!

 

Off you go to the uber talented Laura's blog.  Have fun!

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 



Give Thanks 4 Fall!

H-U-M-P Day! We can see the weekend from here! Greetings, my blog friends. I'm posting for 3 Girl JAM, filling in on an empty day.

If you are a regular to my blog, you've seen this banner before.  But, it's filled with 3 Girl JAM goodness, so it bears repeating.

I have a Fall-themed banner to share with you today.  It has quite a few pictures, so sit back and relax...

  

 

There's a lot to see on this banner, so I have pictures of the individual panels.  I'll tell you more of how I made it as I go along, too.

First, a close up of the top square of the banner.  Each of these 4x4 decorative squares is from a mini album that I took apart.  Close To My Heart used to make them.  They were called a Mix & Mingle album.  I love them for banners because some of the panels are acrylic and some are chipboard -- perfect for something like this!

 

 

I used a stamp from the Joy's Life stamp set "It's All Fall Puns" on the first panel, the "Give Thanks" sentiment.  The #4 and all the letters were cut out on my Cricut, using the Cricut Classic font cartridge.  The designer papers are from the Jillibean Soup Apple Cheddar Soup 6x6 paper pad. The white and cocoa cardstock are from Close To My Heart.

 

 

 

I used various Spellbinder dies to cut the shapes throughout the banner.  Here, you can see an acorn cut from a Tim Holtz die, painted with Creative Inspirations paint.  The leaves are from a cutting file from The Cutting Café using American Crafts Autumn cardstock.  The twine is from Trendy Twine, and can you see that jute string on all 4 corners?  That's the new jute string found in the 3 Girl JAM store.  It worked perfectly on this banner because of the wonderful Fall colors.  I used the Jute ribbon found in the 3 Girl JAM store at the top of the banner.

 

 

the "a" is decorated with more leaves from the Tim Holtz die. They've all been painted with various Creative Inspirations paints. You can see more of the gorgeous 3 Girl JAM jute string that I used on each corner of the panels in these photos, also.

 

 

On this first "l", you can see another of the acrylic pieces that I used. There's some more Trendy Twine here, too, along with leaves cut from The Cutting Cafe's file and the Tim Holtz die.

 

 

This final "l" gives you a good look at the pretty jute string from 3 Girl JAM.

At the bottom of my banner, I used another Joy's Life stamp, from the same stamp set -- It's All Fall Puns.

 

 

That cute squirrel is cut from a die. The Spellbinder ones were perfect for this project, as was this squirrel die from Cottage Cutz. I cut the squirrel out on white cardstock, but used TH distress inks to ink him up.  The eye was made with a Viva Décor Pearl pen.

I have one more view of the whole banner for you, since it was a few pictures back when you saw the whole thing.

 

 

Phew! That was a lot of pictures and description! Thanks for sticking with me!  I hope you enjoyed my banner.  Now, go do some shopping of your own for that new jute ribbon and string.  It's on sale, and it's PERFECT for Fall!  While you're there, pick up some other goodies, too -- you deserve it!