Merry Christmas !!!

I think I finally got my blog to act right !!! Here are a few Christmas things I have been working on. Thanks for taking a peek !!!
Merry Christmas Y'all !!!

Happy Valentine's Day !

Good morning ya'll ! It's great to be creating and sharing again! Ya'll know how life gets in the way of crafting and boy oh boy, my life has been turned upside down the last year and a half. My father had a bad spill in Sept. of 2012 and never really got over that. He was in and out of the nursing home and finally spent his last days there,passing away in Sept. of 2013. My Mother, as some of you know, has severe dementia and I spent 40 days with her in the fall of 2012 and then my brother Jim and I rotated weekends, caring for her, until this past November. It had gotten to the point that she needed care 24/7 and to be honest it was wearing us out not to mention the expense of sitters during the week. My brother works full time and I live an hour away so my sister decided to move Mother to Tn and she is now living in an Assisted Living facility. I have never lived more than an hour from Mother and this has been a real hard adjustment for me. As hard as I try I always end up crying when I speak with her on the phone and going to see her at Christmas and telling her goodbye, broke my heart. I could cry right now! Anyway, Dan had rotator cuff surgery on the 4th of Feb. just as I was trying to get over bronchitis, but I still managed to make some cards for Valentine's day.

This card I made for John Allen and Lori, using G45 Sweet Sentiments paper collection. Used some cut outs and a few metal pieces from my stash. The large floral heart flips up, its held down with a magnet, and a perfect place for my message to my sweet son and his wife.

This is a double easel for my Mother. Used Spellbinders hearts die.

I had so much fun making this for my precious Grandson, Brady! I used a Sizzix die and Spellbinders hearts.

Last but no least, this card is for Dan, from the furbabies and he LOVED it ! Another Sizzix die and Spellbinders. Thanks SO much for stopping by to take a peek! It only took me 1 week to figure out how to load these pictures, its been so long since I used Blogger. I just hope I can remember what I did to upload them !!! xoxoxo

  

Shabby Chic card and bag

Good morning Y'all !!! I hope all of you are going to have a wonderful weekend ! I'm headin to Selma as soon as I finish posting this. Dan asked me late yesterday afternoon if I had a birthday card in my stash, that he could give to his sister for her birthday on Saturday....really ??? I am so glad that I had some flowers already made! I used Bramble Rose paper , corrugated black card stock and alot of Snow Tex, a new to me product ,I have been watching some talented ladies use on YouTube. If you aren't familiar with Snow Tex, you can buy it at Hobby Lobby in the paint department.
The cupcake is a wooden die cut from Michael's that I covered in rosettes,pearls and lace. Some of the flowers I made, like the pink peonies, from a ever so soft chiffon.I also made the large blue and yellow roses, using the Tattered Florals die.

Thanks so much for taking a peek !!!!!  xoxoxoxo

 

Graduation Time !

Hi Y'all.....it's that time of year and here is a lil box and card I made for Dan's niece, Kayla. The card is a 6x6 and I had to make a box for it, so I was busy watching UTube for some inspiration. I made the maroon and dictionary roses , using the Tattered Florals die.These are also Prattville High School colors .Used lots of store bought goodies too. Boy oh boy, there was a time I would never put anything on a card unless my Cricut cut it !
Thanks for taking a look !!! xoxoxo

 

Good Morning!! 1st of all let me thank everyone that have sent emails and called to check on me!! You have warmed my heart! Just a quick update....life has gotten in the way of creating. Last August, my step father had a fall that required hospitalization and my life has not been the same since. As many of you know, my Mother suffers with Alzheimer's and I lived most of the fall, in Selma, taking care of her. While there, we tried to take care of my step father at home for a week and that was a BIG mistake. Trying to lift a 180 lb man was a stupid thing to do, with the history of my bad back and sure enough, my sciatic nerve flared up and we had to get sitters for Mother so I could come home and take care of me. He has since been placed in a nursing home. My brother and his wife had a motorcycle wreck in early Sept. so he spent most of the fall, tending to his wife and my sister was busy running for a state senate seat in Tn.( which she won...wooohoooo! ) so that's why we have hired sitters. I still go to Selma every other weekend and some in between , when needed. Oh and my son got married in early November as well, so the latter part of 2012 was crazy, in many ways ! John Allen married a wonderful young woman, Lori and I now have a 5 year old grandson, Brady! He is a precious child and has quickly stolen my heart! Dan has had some medical problems as well, but we are hanging in there, as best we can.
Now, on to the cards. My friends Sally and Sharon have B'days a week apart and we celebrated them both at the lake this week, so I made both cards kinda similar. I didn't want one to think I made the other one a better card  hahaha    I used some beautiful Susan Winget paper by KnCo.,counted cross stitch material, twine and store bought flowers...egads !! My Expression died and I just haven't had the time to send it off or to drag out my Cricut Create machine. I did make the blue and green roses, using the Tattered Florals die and I hand cut the butterflies on the pink card. I also created bags for the cards, using glassine bags . I really had fun making everything!!!
I hope to be back on a more regular basis now, if the Lord's willing and the creek don't rise!
Thanks for taking a peek!    xoxoxoxo

~~~ Celebrate ~~~

Good morning!! I am on a Shabby Chic binge and this tag I made for Diane, proves it ! I might have gotten carried away with the roses, but I couldn't help myself! I printed off a vintage image of roses and slathered it with ink and Crackle Glossy Accents, a gift from Diane...thanks D !! The paper roses are a combination of Art Philosophy and a Sizzix die. The butterflies were made using a MS punch and the antennae are flower stamens given to me by Tatiana...thanks T !!   I painted the bare chipboard tag a pale blue, added lace, some bling and I think I misted it all with some glimmer mist. Didn't I D ? lol I hope it's shimmery! lol I made a tag for the back and wrote her a little note and used some vintage seam binding on both tags. Oh and I made the stick pin. Thanks for stopping by to take a peek !!!

~~~ Love U ~~~

Hi Y'all ! wooohooo I made another Valentine card!! Nothing like waiting until the last minute. I'm thinking that I will send this to my son, John Allen and yes it has pinks all over it. Men need to get purtty cards too, on Valentine's Day! I used Sweethearts for the hearts and Art Philosophy for the mat. Did lots of distressing on this one with Ranger Walnut Ink and I used a Stampin Up stamp for the heart and the sentiment, using white Kraft ink.I think this stamp set is one of the prettiest I have seen. ( I used the same set on the card I posted yesterday)I embossed both pieces and added glitter to the scalloped hearts and the U....a chipboard letter from my stash. Oh and I stamped several images, using Tim Holtz stamps for the background. Added some more of my vintage seam binding and another tarnished silver heart.Thanks for stopping by to take a peek !!

~~~ Happy Valentine's Day ~~~

Hi Y'all!! I decided that since Dan was gone to his hunting club today, I better get in gear and make him a Valentine's day card ! I used the Sweethearts cart for the frame that I stamped on and for the heart with the Curly Q on it. The scalloped heart is a Martha Stewart punch.I used paper by Echo Park ( thank you T !!!) I stamped the sentiment with a Ranger Clear Embossing pad then covered it with Pewter embossing powder from Stampin Up and boy do I love that stuff!! I used it along the edge of the shadow cut of the frame as well. I also used it to cover the heart and then added 2 coats of UTEE. I don't have any grey ink, so I used a Copics marker to cover up the white core of the paper  ( Thanks Joanie !!!) Added some bling, some Vintage seam binding and a silver heart that had tarnished but looks great with the paper and binding. Thanks for taking a peek!!

~~~ Dream...Create...Inspire ~~~

Hi Y'all....I found some MoJo over the weekend and it lasted for several days! wooohooooo I am going to a Scrapbook Retreat on the 17th of this month and we have to decorate our bedroom door, as part of a challenge. I decided on a banner or should I say multiple banners. I think I had a weak moment, oh let me just say what it was , it was a Senior Moment, filled with aspirations of a younger woman!!
My thinking is, you dream about a project or you have an idea running through your brain ,then you create the dream and then you inspire with your art. I thought this would be very fitting for a scrapbook retreat!
I used the Art Philosophy Cart for the banner, (both pieces) the circles and the scalloped circles. The felt flowers were made using a Sizzix Die. Everything else was from my stash, including the beautiful yellow flowers ( Thanks T ) small lil paper flowers from the dollar bin at Michael's,laces, inks, pearls etc etc etc ! LOTS of inking and layers on this banner. Each banner was cut 2 times, the straight edges as well as the scalloped. I wanted them to be sturdy enough to hold up all the Shabby Chic goodness!! I even made tiny wire antennae for the butterflies, hand painted and distressed all the letters, adding small pearls to some. The Dream banner has Rock Candy added to each letter.I kept the circles/scallops for the letters, identical through out the banner to keep them symmetrical and they were the central theme to work from.As you can see I used lots of Tulle and I love the idea that I found on Youtube, to use old wooden spools to connect each letter. I think that is my favorite thing about the banner Create.
 I added charms to each letter on the Inspire banner and they represent what inspires me. The heart, is for Love...love for and from my family and friends. The Eiffel Tower represents shabby chic for me. The cross of course represents God. For without His love and Blessings, I would be nothing. The Birds, well they are part of the nature God created. I found the Hummingbird charm in my stash after I had already attached the other one, but I said the heck with it cause I really am inspired alot by Hummers, so I have 2 birds on the banner. The flower charm speaks for itself. All of you that know me, know that I LOVE flowers.The butterfly charm was added because I think we all love those dainty lil creatures ! This entire banner pretty much has lots of things that I love on it and things that inspire my art . I so wish you all could see this in person, these pictures just don't do it justice !! I think this Dream that I had to Create this banner , is my best creation to date ! I hope it will inspire me to stay on track and continue to create! Thank you all for reading this novel and for Inspiring me with your own talents !!! Much love to you all!

~~ You're Sew Sweet ~~

Hi Y'all....I made this card for my niece  Elizabeth and I was tickled when I found the "E" charm. I used French Manor for the dress form and Art Philosophy for the flowers and the frame.I tucked in a hand made stick pin and a darling tiny spool, wrapped in Bakers Twine . Thanks for the sweet lil spools, Diane !!!! And thanks for taking a peek , y'all !