One Touch of Nature

Greetings and Happy Thursday. Didn't mean to be gone for so long -- minor computer issues, all fixed now. I've missed my little blog, and I've missed you! Lots of new projects to share, starting tomorrow, but for today, I'm pulling one out of the archives. The stamps I used are from Wildflowers by Crafty Secrets/Clear Art Stamps. The papers are from an older Close to My Heart pack - Simple Pleasures, maybe? I painted the dragonfly and flowers with Shimmerz paint, and the piercing was done with an Ornare piercing template (now discontinued).

A couple of updates: First, I had a fantastic time with the Daisies at the big Girl Scout Encampment last Saturday. Second, Claudine Hellmuth's techniques class that I took on Sunday was soooooo cool! I learned a ton of more artsy type techniques that I hope to play around with in my art journal and maybe even incorporate into my cardmaking. During our lunch break, I also learned that in minor rear-end collisions, the coffee-drinking passenger fares far worse than the vehicle's rear bumper. (So sorry (again) Marti! She says I owe her a coffee. I think I might need to pick up a dry cleaning bill and maybe even then some!) I'm still trying to figure out where that brick wall came from!

Season of Joy

I recently got a sheet of something called Cotton Scraps from Crafty Secrets. In case you haven't seen these, what you get is an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of cotton twill that's been printed with all sorts of wonderful, vintage images. I cut one of the images from the "Winter" sheet, frayed the edges a little and used it as the focal point of my card. So quick and easy! I was comparing my stash of Christmas cards with my list and realizing I still have a LOT of cards to make. I'm feeling a little more encouraged after this quickie.

So it's Black Friday in the US - are you shopping today or staying put? Me personally - I don't do mornings or crowds willingly. You're not likely to catch me anywhere near a store today! No thanks :)

Unless it's an online store, of course. And speaking of shopping and sales and online stores, here's a little something ...

Vintage Autumn

This week's Featured Stamper Challenge at SCS is all about the amazing Becca Feeken, aka Becca Stamps at SCS. You'll also find her work on her blog, Amazing Paper Grace! If you haven't seen her work, grab a bib and be prepared to stay a while! I chose to CASE Becca's card, To Find the Beautiful. I kept the layout, including the large ribbon and the tab-style accent, and changed papers, colors, and the image. I also left off the two buttons in the upper right and added some machine stitching.

The main image -- the tree scene with the word Autumn spelled out in postage stamps -- came from the Seasonal Heartwarming Vintage Booklet from Crafty Secrets. Have you seen all the stuff at Crafty Secrets, by the way? Oh. My. Gosh! I recently got a "few" things, including two of these vintage booklets, and I am seriously in love! They are like swatchbooks full of paper images. I just trimmed out the one I wanted, distressed the edges a bit, and adhered it to the card with foam squares. So unbelievably quick and easy! There is a tiny bit of stamping on this card. At the top and bottom points of the brown square, I stamped a small corner image from Frame It, also available at Crafty Secrets. It's a bit gratuitous, but I *had* to stamp something! The two squares of dp came from a pack of Twiggy paper by Memory Box that I picked up at Stamper's Dream.

My daughter turns 5 today, and my friend Marcy turns 40. Happy Birthday wishes to both! (Marcy blogs, too ... I think it would be soooo fun for her to get birthday wishes on her blog from a bunch of "strangers"! So if you're inclined, head over to Please Don't Make Me Cook [I just hope it's public] and leave her a little love. Tell her I sent you!)

Thanks for stopping by!



Stamps: Frame It (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa (Stampin' Up!); Twiggy dp (Memory Box)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU)
Accessories: Seasonal Heartwarming Vintage Booklet (Craft Secrets); distressing tool, curvy label punch, and wide brown satin ribbon (SU!); chocolate brads (Pink Hedgehog Paper Crafts); sewing machine and thread