Good Day, Sunshine

"And Spring arose on the garden fair, Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast rose from the dreams of its wintry rest."
Percy Bysshe Shelley

A spring card using Magnolia images, Copic markers, and Nestabilities.

Expectations

"Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again." Sarah Ban Breathnach










This card was made for a friend who is undergoing chemo. Pam is a real trooper! This digital image is from Whimsie Doodles. Her name is Hope.  For $2.00 you can download the image, make a card for someone special, and all of the proceeds go for breast cancer research. It's a win-win situation.

Crayon Envy

Coloring has been a passion of mine since I was a little girl. I can remember coloring Barbie images in coloring books and making sure the shoes and hat matched the dress. At school I was envious of kids who had those big boxes of crayons with the sharpener. I was in my 50's when I finally got one for Christmas from a Wilson Co. teacher friend. She had heard my story about wanting one as a child. It's funny how childhood desires manifest into adulthood realities. Now I color with markers that cost a great deal more than that box of crayons, but there is still something wonderous about having a new box of crayons....all sharpened perfectly, no torn wrappers, no broken pieces....like soldiers lined up waiting to be called into service.

Cindy, owner of StampingScrapping.com is now the US distributor for Bildmalarna stamps. These sweet images can be seen here. Here are two I have colored this week.

'the wind blows cold'

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold; when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade." - Charles Dickens

I saw this quote on Facebook today and decided it was so appropriate for a Tennessee spring day. Tuesday and Wednesday were so beautiful. Mike and I sat on the porch drinking coffee and talked about how blessed we are. Today the winds have blown in the rainstorms. It has been a perfect day for coloring.

I received the images below from a friend in Nebraska when we swapped through the mail. Aren't they cute?! I'll have more tomorrow.

Hello Spring!

I created this card as part of a tutorial I wrote for Whimsie Doodles. Tutorials are posted here on Tuesdays.
I used Whimsie Doodles' 'Leah Bunny', 'Easter Basket', and sentiment on this card.

The tutorial's topic is how to paper piece with rubber stamps. Check the Whimsie Doodles' blog for Tuesday Tutorial.

I am still under the weather with my TMJ and headaches.....sure messes with my creativity.

Hurry Spring!

 Most of us have been told not to 'wish your life away'....meaning don't hurry time, but I am so ready for sunshine and warm weather. I have been feeling poorly for the last several days due to my TMJ causing a migraine. On those days I tend to sleep more because of my medication. It sure cuts into the creativity.

  I thought I would share some spring cards to brighten the day. My favorite technique to use when stamping  is to create a scene. This usually means I use stamps from various companies which means I cannot submit them to the company website. For example, the 'Simple pleasures' card was made with two Magnolia stamps, a Stampin' Up stamp, and rub-ons. The lower one also was made with two Magnolia stamps and a Stampin' Up stamp. I use a tool called a 'Stamp-a ma-jig' for placing my elements in the correct location. When my head clears I will post a tutorial on how to use this tool. Many of you may have one and have never used it. Once you understand how it works it will become one of your favorite stamping tools.
 

Scrappy Sunday

I am the hostess for Scrappy Sunday 031410 at Paper Craft Planet this week. My responsibility was to create a sketch and a layout from that sketch and post it on the Scrappy Sunday forum. I also created an album for others to post their layouts using my sketch. You can participate by visiting here.

 This is the sketch I created. I used it when I made the layout 'Time Flies'.

I look forward to seeing the layouts others create using my sketch.

Strawberry Kisses

Prima Marketing Inc has awesome products, and the collection called 'Strawberry Kisses' is no exception. The March kit for Sassy Scrapper was full of 'Strawberry Kisses' paper, Prima flowers and pebbles, buttons, ribbon, and cardstock. What a great kit! I look forward to seeing the layouts made with the kit. Here are a few of the layouts I made.

The next Sassy Scrapper kit will be feminine and suitable for Mother's Day. The one after the Mother's Day kit will be masculine and great for Father's Day. I look forward to designing with these new papers! LC

My artsy friend, Nicole, creates beautiful cards and awesome jewelry. She is collaborating with Paper Jewels for a Cross Promo for prizes. The idea is to pick a piece of Nicole's jewelry for inspiration and create a card based on the jewelry. Here is the jewelry piece I chose and my card. I used the colors of the beads to pick my Copic colors and the silver findings for the bling on my card.

 This was a fun challenge. First, I had a great time looking at all of Nicole's jewelry, and secondly, I enjoyed coloring this Bildmalarna image.

Graphic 45 x2

I thought I would make an early day post and show you the second Graphic 45 layout I did for Sassy Scrapper. This layout was difficult to scan because it is thick with embellishments. I used a piece of an old Butterick pattern I bought at a thrift store, a crochet flower I found at a yard sale, and other items I purchased at Sassy Scrapper. The patterned paper is the reverse side of 'A Timely Point of View' in the layout from yesterday's post. I love this photograph of my momma. I believe it was taken in the mid-40's when she was in her 20's. When I look at it I feel sad that she died so young, and I think about all she missed. She was a wonderful mother and would have been such a great grandmother to Griffin. I look forward to seeing her in Heaven.

Graphic 45

Graphic 45 is a manufacturer of awesome scrapbook paper. If you like the vintage or heritage look, Graphic 45 will interest you. This week I created two layouts for Sassy Scrapper using paper from the  'A Proper Gentleman' line. The paper I used is called 'Timely Point of View'. The two layouts I made will be taught at Sassy Scrapper by Allison and Brenda during March. Sassy Scrapper also carries the 'Domestic Goddess' collection.

 Today was the day to purchase the March kit at Sassy Scrapper. Customers seemed to like the layouts I made with the kit, and all of the kits were sold today. I will upload those layouts tomorrow or Monday. I am off to bed early tonight since I got up early this morning. I am not a morning person.

Step Back

Hello! I'm back after taking a few days off just to regroup. I have taken a break from a couple of my design teams so I can do some of my own designing. Tomorrow is 'kit day' at the Sassy Scrapper, and I did two extra layouts to take to the store. This week I picked up new paper at the Sassy Scrapper for a Father's Day kit. Mary has ordered paper for a Mother's Day kit also. I am hoping to create layouts for Mother's Day and Father's Day that compliment each other.

I did some coloring this week and made several cards for StampingScrapping.com. Cindy, the owner, has added new Magnolia stamps . The card below was created with Magnolia's Edwin with Chicken. He is colored with Copic markers. I just love this image!

Procrastination No More (PNM) is still working in my mind. The 21 days that I practiced PNM did create an awareness in me. Now when I see something that needs to be done, I am aware of my procrastination tendency. I honestly am trying to improve. Procrastination is like any other bad habit. The longer you have practiced the bad habit, the deeper it is embedded, and the longer it takes to rid yourself of it. I wish there was a patch or a 12-step program! Hello, my name is Linda, and I'm a procrastinator!