Inspiration...

Wow, long time no see! I truly didn't mean to drop out of the blogosphere (again!) but life has been a bit crazy. I somehow managed to hurt my knee on vacation this summer, so that has slowed me down in a major way; I actually have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon later this week, and will probably be having surgery soon. I also had some issues with my heart(thankfully all is well!), and although both of our kids are now in school, the carefree days that I had envisioned have yet to materialize.

On a side note, I am working very hard to get healthier, and losing weight is a big part of that. I'm attending a First Place for Health Bible study, and tracking food/activity with sparkpeople. The leader of the study is wonderful, and has been such an encouragement to me, which is why I made her this card. Nothing fancy - some repeat stamping and a very simple layout (flower image is from Wordsworth, and sentiment is Hero Arts, patterned paper from 7gypsies) - but I wanted to let her know how much she is appreciated. Hmmm... that's one thing that drew me into stamping all those years ago, but somehow I got caught up more in making stuff than actually sending it out. Let me tell you, it's awfully nice to spread some hand-crafted love :)

Anyway, I hope to be able to do more creative stuff in the months ahead, and will happily share as time allows!

Make your own happiness

I just love this sentiment (from Hero Arts) - and I literally did just that when creating this card. I had fallen in love with the colors in Pink Paislee's Queen Bee line and had ordered the 6x6 pad several months ago; I dusted off my circle punches and just started playing. I cut some random curves to use on the card front, then just glued everything down and trimmed edges as necessary. Quick and rather cute, if I do say so myself ;)

A card, a card!!

Be still my heart. I finally was able to make something -- it's like a second homecoming :)

I like the open, sketchy flowers that seem to be showing up everywhere these days, but refused to cave and buy another stamp set (and seriously, if you could see the current state of my space you would most assuredly agree!). But then I went to Wal-Mart for my usual household stop... and it turns out that they're clearing out most of their craft stuff. This set from Martha Stewart was marked down to $4, and I just couldn't resist. I stamped the flowers, sponged on a bit of color (no time-consuming coloring!) and then added some glittery accents with a Stardust pen. I added the sentiment (Hero Arts), rounded 2 corners, and glued it on a dark gray base. Done!

I promise to be back with more soon - I've missed my creative outlet!

Home!!

Nothing like being away for a month to really make you appreciate your little piece of earth. And the craft stash :)

I need to catch up on stuff like laundry & mail sorting, but I *will* be making something soon.

MUST. GET. INKY.

In the meantime, here are two pics from our trip: 1 with the kids and I at the top of Beartooth Pass in Montana/ Wyoming (yes, I'm the crazy girl wearing capris in the snow!) and another of the kiddos by the creek that ran along our camp site. I miss the cool temperatures and mountains already...

Finally, a new post - and even a pic!

I know it's been a LOOOOONG time since I actually shared anything - life has a way of getting incredibly busy, doesn't it?!

I ended up driving up to Montana and spending three weeks with family there; it was wonderful to catch up with them (not to mention avoiding S. Texas heat :) and I even managed to take a class at a local scrapbook store. We made this cute photo holder with acrylic overlays & heavyweight transparencies - I'm thinking that some family members may be receiving these as gifts... great way to present photos, plus they're super lightweight for shipping!

Anyway, I'm off & running again... hope to be back soon with some other creative goodies!

Checking In

Hello - long time, no blog post. We've gone through an exceptionally crazy period - nonstop company (4 weeks and counting!), end of school year activities, violent stomach bugs, difficult church situation, new electronics, and a pile of other minor issues that still have a way of mounting up quickly...

Needless to say, I haven't had much time for stamping. I did sneak in a couple hours worth a few weekends ago, but haven't had a chance to photograph anything, much less post them. We finally have upgraded our computer and it's no longer turning itself off & on randomly, but we're still figuring some things out. For what it's worth, I am loving Windows 7 :)

Hope to "equalize" soon and snatch some creative time. Trust me, I need it. Until then...

Feeling Fresh

I know I haven't been around much - life has been hectic, and unfortunately I haven't much time to stamp (waaaaaahh!). I did want to share this card I made for this month's smART-word challenge - fresh!

I love all the "blocky silhouette" images that I've been seeing lately, but the last thing I need is to buy more stamps... I have plenty already, so I can improvise, right?! Anyway, I pulled out these gorgeous flowers (from the Botanicals sheet), masked off a rectangle with sticky notes, stamped & embossed the image, then sponged the color on (a long-neglected SU ink)before removing the sticky notes. I love the final result, and it definitely feels fresh to me. The phrase is from the "Blessings" set (which can be found on the first sheet here, along with a lot of other great sentiments).

I also want to share my first run at this design, which didn't work out quite as I had envisioned. I sponged on Palette ink... and well, the resist didn't exactly work. I love using the hybrid ink, and had overlooked the fact that it can be used on non-porous surfaces! Oops! It's still a nice result, just much softer. I went ahead and finished the card out with a sentiment (from the same Botanicals sheet), but didn't like the way the phrase fell (which is also why I shifted the image portion to the right on the final card).

Well, I'm off and running again - hopefully you're now feeling reFRESHed and wanting to make a card of your own! You have until April 27 to post a link for a chance to win some lovely mother-themed images.