Crystal Chandelier...

I am happy I had a chance to case the Featured Stamper of the week over on SCS. I love going back in my memories to recall happy times when life was lived at a slower pace. My grandparents had a Georgian Colonial built just for them in 1935. And the dining room was the heart of the home. It had big bold cabbage rose wallpaper for a time and then toile. You could enter it from either the breakfast room which had corner cabinets for storing her collection of Franciscan 'Ivy' or directly off the living room with a double wide opening. I can almost hear the laughter round the table.

My grandmother finally got her crystal chandelier in 1946. It was much like the one you see. It had silver trim, chain and candle cups. It always hung over the handsome solid cherry table. I remember her carefully washing the crystals in hot sudsy dishwater in her PINK kitchen. My grandparents moved three times and each time the chandelier was moved with them. She loved having family get-togethers, dinner parties and turn the wall sconces down low and light the tapers. I was always enchanted by the effect of the flickering candles on the crystals and people. To this day, I accent every room in my home with different types of light.

It's Sunday, be blessed today and always.

Curtain Call

edited: This card was a Moxie Fab winner in the Perfectly Pleated Challenge!

I love Friday nights...my very favorite challenge of the week is posted early over on SCS. The Inspiration Challenge never fails to stir the artful muse. The challenge hostess selected an English merchant, the John Lewis Department Store. I could be lost in their online catalog for days...but headed straight for the Curtains. I wanted to play with I Brake for Stamps stage image combining it with B Line Designs 'at the movies' stamp. And the curtains fit right into Moxie Fab World Perfectly Placed Pleats.

I stamped the curtains three X's for each side to add width and depth for this card. Memory Box Twilight paper group had a perfect pattern. The Theatre image was stamped onto a gray cs. I added Stickles to the crystal dome light and colored the ocean and sailing ship with Copics. A small sentiment from Making Memories seemed just right for the stage floor.

My girlhood was full of grand shopping trips with my mother and grandmother to the downtown Department stores. The lunch counters on the first floor or the restaurant on the

mezzanine were special treats for Easter or Christmas time. I'd love to hear what your memories are of the old time merchants...well that is if you are of a certain age! If not, were do you remember going to shop with your mom as a girl?

Our hope

I write this post being uncertain as to how I will reenter this blogging world. Thanks in advance for hanging with me! Many of you know my beloved Mother in LOVE was called home to heaven in September. On my birthday even. It was a sudden illness and she never regained consciousness. Her medical directive made it clear there would be no heroics. And so when the basics of life, breath and hydration, could no longer be sustained on her own, we prepared our hearts for separation. The elders of her church were called to the CICU along with family and friends. We surrounded her bed, praying, speaking remembrances, reading scriptures, and most of all, singing old hymns. Once the machines were turned off, it was just a matter of minutes that this worn out earthly body could continue to support the breath of life given to her so long ago. I praise our God that HIS plan is perfect and that his angels carried her soul that night. I stoked her beautiful face so soft and radiant, her hair so silvery (wisdom) perfect even with bedhead!and whispered how pretty she was even after all the invasive equipment.

And so with all the details of dismantling (my dear husbands' word) her life, it's taken me this long to feel ready to create again. I was blessed to make a video montage of Bette's life in pictures (when I figure out how to embed a copy, I will post it here). Both my sons were in on the effort, with Andy scanning all my many choices of photographs and Sam selecting the music that would be so important to the theme of her life. I felt happy in going through all the photo albums, shoe boxes, and picture frames to select the images that would tell the story of her life.

When it was presented at the memorial, it brought together a diverse group of people with Bette the center story of every thought.

I share all this and today's Color Challenge on Splitcoast for it is just a few days until we honor the reason for our hope, our gift. May you have the merriest of Christmases this year.

in the pink, well maybe

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend, full of things that delighted your senses. I spent the weekend nursing a cold, sleeping, waking up long enough for another dose of medicine. It stinks to be sick on the weekend! So I am thinking pink, being positive, and hoping I'll make it through my very long workday. Pam issued the latest 365 Card challenge and gave us the movie "PRETTY in PINK" to inspire us!

My card also fits for the Basic Grey challenges week #2 to use the color combo brown, yellow and pink. You must include at least one BG paper in your work. I must admit I hoard my BG papers, but I did have a great time going through all the paper groups for the perfect pink for my undies!!! So many luscious hues. In the end, I selected LUSTER from the Euphoria collection. It is a lovely pastel with the tiniest bit of texture. My yellow is the new fence posts of the clothes line. And the brown is repeated in the fabulous tree (Memory Box paper from Sugardrop) and the cardbase which is Brazzill linen texture.

I'll jump at any chance to use this wonderful lingerie from B Line Design. And the clothesline image(Finders Keepers) was from a tag sale in town earlier in the summer. I just knew it would come in handy. I used tiny wooden clothespins to attach the undergarments. The sentiment is a rub-on.

Thanks for stopping over, I am glad I am spreading no germs out in cyberspace. Have a great week!

an artist cannot fail

I hope you are all enjoying a blissful Sunday afternoon...I finally got to create and just had to honor SCS'es (is that a word) Featured Stamper Stamp Muse. M is kind, encouraging, and generous of our creative community! It was a thrill to see her selected.

The card I designed features photographs my son, Sam and I took last week in our garden. I had never seen a zebra patterned dragonfly until we spotted (ha, ha) this one on one of the water features. With Sam being 6'3" I had him photograph the one of the wing span and I managed to get the front shot in between gusts of wind. The dragonfly had a most interesting technique for keeping balanced. Other details about this card are Basic Grey Lime Rickey Catawba Flip paper, Papertrey Ink New Leaf, and B Line Design quote inked with ColorBox Dragonfly black ink.

It's a gorgeous day here in the PNW...low '80's, light winds. Hope the sun is shining on you or moonshine!

let's make a scene

...oh, I mean, let's create a scene, indoors. Making rooms might just be my favorite style of card. Guess it goes back to playing with dollhouses and paper dolls when I was a girl. This card is for 2 challenges, the Ways to Use it over on SCS...pleated ribbon and the 365 Card Blog: let's make a scene indoors.

This one came together quite quickly, as I knew just what stamps I wanted to use. B Line Designs fabulous 'Rendre Belle' and Tim Holtz's chandelier (hey, hey, Amy!!!). I used Memory Boxes Gingercake paper to frame in my wall, ceiling, and floor. Copics colored my belle's skin and shoes, I left the rest simple. I pleated a beautiful two toned ribbon and placed it at the top of my panel. It reminded me of a roman shade. At the very bottom I stamped Anna Griffin's Happy Birthday with Memento Tuxedo Black.

Thanks very kindly for stopping by my corner of the sphere today...hope yours is a happy one!

scraplifting my friend, Amy

oh, what fun, today's challenge over at 365 Cards is to scraplift one of the DT's cards. Well, I felt it only right to case my friend, Amy...she's the one who introduced me to the 365. We've been friends here in cyberspace and have met up in person. I just love her style and have watched it evolve over the past year. I chose this card to case...the ruffled Stampendous flower was one of the very first stamps I had. What I like about Amy's card is the bold graphic punch of the one image repeated several times. I do believe her red makes for a much prettier card than my violet.

I actually cut the ruffles on the bottom of the blooms to give the card some depth. The sentiment comes from B Line Designs

scatter joy

Over at 365 Card Blog the challenge today is to frame it. And it was so easy, I am almost embarrassed to post. I knew exactly what sentiment I wanted to use with this photo of Siberian Poppies taken from my garden. I used PSE to enhance the picture, though, the poppies really are this gorgeous shade of blue. The petals are cut and popped to add dimension. The oval frame is a B Line Design image which was stamped on GP white with Tim Holtz walnut stain ink and embossed with TH black soot distressed powder. The scatter joy (a Daisy Bucket clear acrylic stamp) was inked with Memento Tuxedo Black.

I'm sending this out today to someone who need a bit of cheer. I think we could all remember to scatter our joy along our paths today! Have a wonderful weekend, wherever on this earth you are!

Dad Rocks

My favorite time of day or night is about 01:00. All my house is asleep, no one needs me and I can let the muse out, breathe deeply, and {B}! I do my best creating in these early hours...but since I am chasing the clock tonight, I am posting this Fathers Day card early.

It's been Cosmo Cricket week on the 365 Card Blog. For this card, I managed to use 7 different patterns of CC paper. And mostly older stuff, like Souvenir, Wanted, and Little Man. I adore CC's funky style...a bit like me! I have used the super sketchy Sunday challenge on 365 Card Blog. It is turned vertical so I could use my super mod man reading newspaper stamp. The chair, chair legs, pants, shirt, and paper are all paper pieced.

This Saturday was filled with cooking all the daddy-o's favorite foods, we kicked off dinner with Gulf Coast Jambalaya and olive bread...after our stomachs settled the apricot shortbread pie was cool enough to eat. Tomorrow we'll have asparagus quiche before church and then...well, I think I'll let DH pick...a restaurant!

Thanks so much for all your comments on my art this week, I love to know what you're thinking.

Birthday redux

I had to bring this card back, first of all to complete the idea my brilliant DS had for his own birthday card, and second to enter it into the Gallery Idol 2009 that Paper Craft Magazine is hosting.  I posted this last Saturday and thought it was a great card, but when Andy opened it on Tuesday, he almost immediately said, "oh Mom, it would have been cool if you had the #13 dropping off the back of the truck"!  Now of course, I was thinking, 'now why didn't I think of that'.  So when he was occupied with opening presents, I slipped away to my studio and popped those tiny #13 rub-on's just under the front of the truck. ...to be crushed on first roll.  Thanks DS for your input, it was most welcome!!!

to B 14...

...do you remember when you were 14?  I do, it was mini-skirts and Yardley make-up...white lipstick.  I especially remember my 13th birthday as I got a new pocketbook (a Southern term for sure) and inside there were 13 new dollar bills.  I thought I was rich!  My DS, Andy turns 14 on Tuesday.  He's longing for a long board...over 10x's  $13's! But then that is what birthday's are for. 

I thought I would bust out a birthday card for him and make it fit the 365 Card Blog Saturday Challenge, to have everything front and center. I used my favorite pick-up truck image from B-Line Designs.  It was inked with ColorBox Raven Black onto DoubleMates merigold paper. I embossed it in clear ep and colored in the chrome bits with a silver gel pen. It is popped on foam mounting squares.I added an Andy name stamp, #14 rub-on's from Making Memories and the fab, "OH, Happy Day" (Wordsworth).

where does the time go?

Has it ever been a month...computer on life support, sickness going through our whole house and a big birthday to celebrate!  My dear MIL is 80 now.  We've got a house full of company and parties to attend in her honor.  And, of course, that's in addition to all the regular stuff that make up our lives!

Today's Ways to Use it was an all white challenge. Interesting to think in hues and textures of white.

Off to a luncheon for the Birthday gal!  

a caged Merry

I loved the colors for todays' challenge on SCS.  Red Riding Hool, Baja Breeze and Taken with Teal.  This was one of those, I knew immediately what I would do!   I love the old fashioned bird cages from B Line Designs.  And I knew they needed to be the stars of my card. Please pop over to my gallery, if you would like more details on the design of this card. Thanks very much.

I admire my friend, Amy Tsuruta's clean, crisp style  and tried to model this with the card today.  I actually think it is more difficult to pull off when each piece carries such weight.  I'm kinda groovin and just might be on to a new thing!  Thanks Amy for your beautiful art that inspires me on a daily basis.