What have I been doing you ask?

It has been a while on the posting and I thought I would share what I've been spending my time on.  We decided that since my son is graduating high school (tonight even!) we would update the house a bit.  It started with a few lamps out in the front room and quickly escalated to new laminate wood floors, new plumbing (loooong story that isn't the highlight of this tale), new toilets (22 year old toilets needed some updating), and  ultimately new curtains, blinds and a few new pillows.

I still have to get some of my pictures up on the walls.  I simply ran out of time with all the other activities going on at the end of school.  That pulley lamp on the table - started everything!

The same room a few years ago before the upgrades.  My scrapbox remains in that corner, just didn't get a picture!

This is the family room.  The lower half of the walls is Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter.  One of the most popular colors around.  I wanted to go green (my favorite color), but saw these roman shades in Home Depot.  Sold!  The cornice above the windows were made by my dad 20 years ago when we moved into the house.  The 10 year old Saint Bernard, Abby, would not move for my picture taking.

Another photo to contrast.  That plaid wallpaper was up for 20 years too!

 The switchplates were old and decrepit too.  I almost splurged and bought brand new fancy plates.  Then I was thinking how I Modge Podge things and a trip to Michaels revealed this fabulous fabric tape.  So simple to cover the switchplates and outlet covers with trendy, patterned fabric tape.  If it gets dirty or I get sick of it, rip it off and cover with new tape.  This makeover cost less than $10 in fabric tape for all the covers downstairs.  Fabulous!
















I'm so pleased with how things turned out.  We have a fair bit of work to go through the upstairs and maybe some more updates.  But for now, I'm heading to a graduation family getaway on Friday.  Uploading photos for editing on the plane/trip and maybe I can catch up on some posts.  Thanks for hanging in there with me during my time away.  I hope your summer starts this week with a bang!

Sympathy Card- They Keep Coming

I went back to my technique of die cutting smaller die cuts learned in my Stretch Your Dies online class.  I think the soft pink sets the right tone in this card made for a co-worker.  You can see the outline image a little better too.   I die cut Heartfelt Creations Butterfly Medley die using patterned paper.  I arranged the butterflies and some small white embossed flowers (made out of vellum) on my work surface to fill the flower shape I could cut.  I place transfer tape (sticky side covering the die cuts) over the die cuts and then cut my larger die.  The original shape of the larger die is a large flower- wavy in a symmetrical way.  After gluing down the image, I added some coral prills to the center of the flowers.  I stamped the sentiment in brown Archival Ink.

Finishing Another Set of Gratitude Cards

I decided to shake up the design a little bit for these subsequent cards.  The patterned paper in the background is actually a scrap from the heap.  Here's the details on this card:

• The frame was stamped on vellum and embossed with white embossing powder and then cut using the matching die.  I colored the die cut on the backside with Worn Lipstick, Peeled Paint and Vintage Floret Distress Markers.  
• The flowers were stamped with the Birds and Blooms stamp on vellum and embossed with white embossing powder.  They were then die cut with the matching die and colored with Worn Lipstick.  The centers are filled with Tu Tu Pink prills.
• The butterfly was also stamped with my Butterfly Medley stamp and embossed with white embossing powder onto vellum which was then die cut with the matching die.  I colored with Scattered Straw, Worn Lipstick, Picked Raspberry Distress Ink.  
• All elements on the front are laced with glitter to give it a fine shimmer.
• The sentiment was printed on the computer, die cut into a circle and edged with Vintage Photo Distress ink.  The image was layered onto the patterned paper and everything glued down.  

On the inside I used my stitched rectangle dies to cut out another verse printed on the computer.  I left the die cut in the die long enough to apply some Peeled Paint Distress Ink to the inside of the frame for this effect.  It is applied with a few foam squares to give it a lift.

More of the same.  The glitter effect of the cards is lost in my pictures.  You can kinda see it, but not really.  I'm really pleased with how these turned out...

Another Heartfelt Gratitude Card

I picked up Heartfelt Creations Decorative Leafy Frame die and matching Vintage Floret Frame stamp at the CK Scrapbook Convention in March.  It worked as a great base for some of the Thank you cards I needed to make.  Here's the details on this card:

• The frame was stamped on vellum and embossed with white embossing powder and then cut using the matching die.  I colored the die cut on the backside with Worn Lipstick, Peeled Paint and Vintage Floret Distress Markers.  
• The flowers were stamped with the Birds and Blooms stamp on vellum and embossed with white embossing powder.  They were then die cut with the matching die and colored with Worn Lipstick.  The centers are filled with Tu Tu Pink prills.
• The butterfly was also stamped with my Butterfly Medley stamp and embossed with white embossing powder onto vellum which was then die cut with the matching die.  I colored with Scattered Straw, Worn Lipstick, Picked Raspberry Distress Ink.  
• The sentiment was printed on the computer, die cut into a circle and edged with Vintage Photo Distress ink.  The image was layered onto the patterned paper and everything glued down.  

So adorable that I made a few of these cards as well.  I'll try to get the photos edited and posted soon. 

With Sympathy

As you might expect, Brandy didn't hesitate to express her sympathy to my husband and our family.  This is the card that she created to express her sympathy.  The picture cannot do it justice.  There is rich hues of yellow and brown distress inks.  The images were stamped in watercolor inks onto watercolor paper onto a paper previously distressed with the yellow and brown background.  A little blending and water drops to finish the look.  The brown cardstock creates a perfect backdrop for the stamped image.  A little cream color twine to soften the edge and create interest for the eye.

I can't even describe the emotion this card still raises in my heart.  I'm sure one or two of my tears are represented by those droplets on the card front.

Butterfly Card Set

I did say that I'd get these photos edited and post them for you.  This is the series of cards I made as Thank yous for folks who poured out their love during our time of grief.

Whoops- got a little color on the corner there!

If you missed the previous post, here's the details on the cards:

• The image stamped on the base card was made in Vintage Sepia Versafine ink using my Heartfelt Creations Birds and Blooms stamp.  I used a water brush and a Peeled Paint and Worn Lipstick Distress Markers to color the leaves and the flowers.  A little Vintage Photo Distress ink was applied to the branches.  Glitter was added to the image and Tu Tu Pink prills added to the flower centers.  
• The butterflies were cut from patterned paper using my Heartfelt Creations Butterfly Medley die.  The same Tu Tu Pink prills were added to the butterfly bodies with a little glitter for effect as well.
• The doily came in a $1 pack from Michael's value bin. It is pink felt and so works here.  
• The sentiment was printed onto cream cardstock and then cut out into a flag which is edged with Peeled Paint Distress Ink.  

Fluttering By with a Heartfelt Sympathy

I had many occasions last month to be grateful with a sad heart.  I made a series of thank you cards and this is one of them.  We have been both brokenhearted and crushed in spirit, but the love and care people have shown has strengthened and encouraged us.    Here's the details on the card:

• The image stamped on the base card was made in Vintage Sepia Versafine ink using my Heartfelt Creations Birds and Blooms stamp.  I used a water brush and a Peeled Paint and Worn Lipstick Distress Markers to color the leaves and the flowers.  A little Vintage Photo Distress ink was applied to the branches.  Glitter was added to the image and Tu Tu Pink prills added to the flower centers.  
• The butterflies were cut from patterned paper using my Heartfelt Creations Butterfly Medley die.  The same Tu Tu Pink prills were added to the butterfly bodies with a little glitter for effect as well.
• The doily came in a $1 pack from Michael's value bin. It is pink felt and so works here.  
• The sentiment was printed onto cream cardstock and then cut out into a flag which is edged with Peeled Paint Distress Ink.  

I didn't want to need these cards, but I think they communicated our appreciation and loss to those who helped during our time of grief.  I made a couple more versions, but need to get the photos loaded and edited.  I try to share this later in the week.

Another Happy Birthday Card - Watercolor Markers

Let's just say that Brandy and I are enjoying a season of productivity with our new tools.  We're not going spend a lot of time talking about the financial investment we've made in said tools, just share our lovely creations with you.  Today I'm sharing another card with the image colored by Brandy using her Tombow watercolor markers.  She's getting good at the blending of colors.  Such a lovely easel card with a depth of image in real life that is stunning.