Ornaments of home

Happy Day all, we are slipping into the weekend and that certainly is a good thing. I can't believe how fast this week has gone! Tomorrow is a whole family yard work day, so I thought I better get my card posted for PaperCraft Star's Challenge #21 before I am off to work. This is a newer blog that does things just a bit differently. The readers determine the winner of the challenges with each one getting two votes. This will be my first time playing in the challenge, which speaking of 'good things' was a Martha Stewart photo inspiration. Some of my readers know I just love to recreate rooms on cards. And so it goes with this one!

I love the ethereal colors used in the retreat room. I can almost smell the ocean air and feel the sand around my feet. The colors are just what one would expect to see while you were strolling down the beach. I used Stamp Francisco's table image, stamping it onto a putty colored linen textured paper and embossing with SeaFoam White ep. It was cut and popped on dimensionals. My floorboards were created with the Tim Holtz ledger folder that I embossed in both directions to get the squares of the original. For the amazing day bed, I punched a strip from the Fiskars Eyelet lace punch and then used a Martha tag punch to make the pillows (paper is Mistletoe and Pear paper group Basic Grey snowflake pattern)...in creating those pillows with the tag, I just punched the rounded bit, not the whole tag...if that makes sense. The very cool cabinets under the bookshelves are small rectangles from Spellbinders that I dry embossed to look like raised panels. I cut 4 'door's. I used two vintage buttons for the door pulls. The 'walls' are papers from Memory Box 'Dewdrop' collection. The right side is tiny snowflakes and the left, a sponged pattern. I added the 'window' to minic the light you can see in the original. In place of the shelves which has those wonderful shells, I chose to use a Rubber Soul quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson "The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it." And those ornaments in the bowl on the table are cut from the overview sheet of the Basic Grey Mistletoe and Pear cover (never know when something might be useful!). I cased the 'shelves' in with white cs, used the Cuttlebug Textile embossing folder under the quote and a tiny bit of white lace at the top of my card.

I would love to hear what you think about "MY" room. And have a marvelous Autumn weekend.

Blessings,

Susan

Enjoy the show...

Happy end 'o October. And onto November. I am not Halloweenie, but I just had to combine this freebie 100 Proof Press image with the lovely Wordsworth sentiment. It was one of those just had to do's! My card uses the Tim Holtz alterable rustic fence die which I inked with various ChalkBox inks and stapled to the dark night panel. The slim beautiful collage panel is from Memory Box 'Twilight' collection. I paper pieced the skeleton with Basic Grey's Sugar Rush. The sentiment is cut with one of the *umpteenth* labels from Spellbinders.

I am blessed to say my husband sees through all my protective layers and love me when I am unlovable. I suspect he is far more saintly in that way than I. And for that I am blessed. How about you?

Delicious Autumn

I've forgotten which Challenge Blog I saw this sentiment last week, but I couldn't resist ordering George Eliot's quote from Prickley Pear. Autumn is my very favorite season and I am holding out for a few more weeks of glorious leaves. The Memory Box Twiggy paper group was perfect for my card. I added a bird and globe to carry the theme of flying the world over to chase successive autumns. Almost like modern day storm chasers.

George Eliot was Mary Ann Evans' pen name. She is said to taken the name of a male to garner more respect for her work. She is the author of MiddleMarch, Silas Marner, and The Mill on the Floss. The quote I used, in case it is hard to read:

Delicious

Autumn!

My very soul is

wedded to it.

and if I were

bird I would

fly about the

earth seeking

the successive

autumns.

I hope today you will be able to enjoy another lovely autumn day!

I am praying for you...Momento Mori

I couldn't resist creating a card for this weeks Tuesday Trigger Challenge over on Moxie Fab World. The inspiration photo was of an old gravestone. I loved the slightly out of focus image and the shape of the focal. I also wondered about the person whose final resting home was under that stone marker.

I used a fabulous paper from Memory Box 'Twilight' collection which really set the scene! Stampington's Triptych Arch with it's spires seemed just the right home for my praying angel. I added bits of vintage lace trim in the arches. The angel (Diva Impressions unmounted) was stamped three times. Once for the base, again to pop her out of the frame and lastly for another set of wings (this time stamped on vellum). She is colored with Copics. I added copper staples at the bottom, another set of three. Don't you think the sentiment, from Wordsworth belonged in my cemetery?

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by. Have a blessed week.

Herodotus said...

I couldn't resist this quote by 5th century BC Greek historian, Herodotus when I was at our local materials exchange center for community arts (MECCA for short). For the mixed media artist, it is the ultimate candy store. Today was a rummage sale and I tried really hard to stay focused, really I did!

So when the Featured Stamper was announced on Splitcoast tonight, her circle window card was just the ticket to use the Kolette Hall image. I stamped it with VersaColor Black and embossed it with bronze ep. The papers are from Memory Box 'Twilight' paper group.

I feel very blessed to have friends all over the world. I remember a family member telling me if I could count 5 steadfast friends I would be fortunate indeed. Well, I know my tried and true friends and they are prized above any earthy goods. Friends can enjoy the silence between one another and know in that space is wealth. It is wonderful to fall back into place after a long absence of a dear friend. Just knowing someone is out there holding you up in prayer is comfort indeed.

And I made a new friend this week...a cyber gal, whom I discovered lives less than 3 miles from me. We met for breakfast and were delighted to discover we share a love of paper crafting. I can't wait to see where this friendship grows!

Livin' the dream

Those who know me, know I love chairs...I have a dozen different styles throughout my house and that's not including the miniatures I have collected over the years. When I saw the Moxie Tuesday Trigger,

I knew right away I would have to recreate that room! The fabulous chair is part of a set of historical chairs from Michelle Ward's Green Pepper Press. I altered it just a bit to make it more upholstered.

The vase was also hand created and chalk colored and then embossed with UTEE to get the glassy feel. It was such fun, getting the parquet floor with a wood sheet of paper cut into squares, inked with Tim Holtz DI in shades of Black Soot and Walnut Stain. I then embossed to get the glossy finish. The mirrored table was hand cut and shaped with a bone folder.

The spray of orchids came together quite nicely with the skeleton from an oak leaf on my patio and an impatien petal was perfectly colored which I plucked from one of my pots. This fits with SCS Ways to Use It 292. The Memory Box damask paper stands in for the gorgeous wallpaper of the Inspiration room. Lastly, but not least, I had to put a bit of word art on my wall. Something I strive everyday!

How about you?

dawn...

Happy Sunday dear cyber pals! I am finally feeling better...after three weekends of every kind of cold symptom...today dawned with a feeling of wellness. I am so glad and couldn't resist the 365 Card Blog's Sketchy Sunday challenge. I don't do sketches very often...it is my greatest challenge, but if you follow Pam, you've probably already noticed very well thought out sketches! This one is no exception. I admit in advance that I took artistic license with this one. but love the overall shape!

Keeping the oval shapes going, I decided to use one of a set of 8 doors I received as a Christmas gift last year from my first cyber gal pal, Amy. We happen to share a love of architectural elements and have had a blast trying '2 1up' each other in the gifty part. So I've searched out all kinds of sentiments related to doors to go along with my divine door selection . This Emily Dickinson quote "Not Knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door" is a sentiment from I Brake for Stamps. I used the Memory Box Butterfield papers, Memento Tuxedo Black,

Rhubarb, and Rich Cocoa inks. I soften the edges with ChalkBox Creamy Brown and Dark Brown. The buttons are die-cuts from K&Co that I embossed with clear ep for dimension.

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!

almost pumpkin time

My very favorite time of the year is almost here...I can feel it in the air. And Pam's Just Peachy Challenge over at 365 Card Blog fit right in with my pumpkin girls (Ken Brown line at American Art Stamps)...there are many shades of pumpkins, right???

I stamped the girls on Core'dinations peach paper and then colored the pumpkin heads with Copics Y38. The bucket head girl's dress is paper pieced with a pattern from Basic Grey Mellow and the other girl's leafy head covering and scarf with paper from Memory Box. The wonderful leave paper is from Memory Box Twiggy. I added a bit of vintage upholstery trim for the trunk and slipped Art Impressions sentiment in among the leaves. "LEAVE the everyday"

I definitely try to leave the everyday as much as possible. My oldest son and I recently had a conversation about just this very thing. We were out for a walk and a talk and he remarked,

"Mom, I think I have lost that sense of wonder of seeing nature like I used to." I can remember Kincaid sunset moments, starry night skies, and forsythia in the spring. It grieved my heart to think he could loose the treasure of innocent eyes. So I've purposed to remind him through my words and art to sharpen his focus and NEVER settle for the everyday!

Have a happy weekend everyone and let me know what you are seeing~~~

Happy Wedding Day

Once again, I've left one of the 365 Card Blog challenges till the last minute! Oh well, you just can't rush the muse. I actually had a invite on FaceBook today from a friend of my son and amongst her pics, I found the photo to use on my 'keep it to yourself: Wedding Card challenge'.

She noted on her page that it was a month and counting now. So I am on top of this card! Yipee!

Pam asked that we not use any sentiments on the front of the card. I used this delightful

cherubs carrying a gilded mirror image from Stamp Francisco. I stamped it twice, once in Memento Tuxedo Black and again the mirror frame embossing with Platinum ep. I PSE'd the photo to make it black and white, and the right size for the frame. The very cool springy collage paper is a Memory Box pattern. I added a layer of lavender on the GP white Kickstand card. And finished it off with a double satin ribbon, saved from a gift. Oh, a I used a piece of packaging, embossing with the Diamond ef from Cuttlebug. The inside Wedding sentiment is from SU inked with Memento lovely posies

I would love to know what you think...

chairs and dreams

I love chairs, I know I've said it before!  Something about them, as I type this I look around our family room and I see no less than 7 different styles of chairs!!!   And that doesn't count my chair collections!!!   I appreciate the differences and am reminded we are all unique...comfy models or upright ones, a curve here or tuft there.  I love them all...I know I never tire of them.

Of course the challenge for the Inspiration today on SCS was Pottery Barn Teen Catalog.  How easy to find more chairs to make my heart beat faster!!!  This time Polka Dot!!!  I had to recreate the PB Teen room and add my spin on the framed sentiment!  We all need to DREAM, one of mine would be to have a total rehouse remodel with rooms filled with new furniture.  

What are you dreaming of...I'd love to hear!