Art Impressions Windows to the World

This is just one set of cards so far made using my Windows to the World stamps and matching window die from Art Impressions.  I had originally shared with you in this post how enamored I was with these stamps.  I can tell you that the stamps did not disappoint.  Here's a few of the details:

• All images were stamped using black Archival Ink onto Canson watercolor paper.  
• I colored the images with Inktense pencils and a watercolor brush.  Nothing fancy here - I tended to scribble color onto the image and blend with a damp watercolor brush - pinching off the water to ensure that not too much made it's way to my card.  Look close - this is not a professional job
• I used Inktense to scribble some blue color onto the card base and large amounts of water to distribute the color to create a background for my image.  I raised the image with foam squares.
• The window was cut out of brown cardstock and adhered to the opening made with the matching die.  I simply trimmed the "window panes" from the card base so the view of the image was less obstructed.

 In the end I purchased five different images.  I'm sure there are more cards to come.  I just couldn't wait to share these with you now. 

I adore how these turned out.  This makes such a fantastic gift - I'm going to make a few and have them on hand for when I need them.  If you haven't checked out the Art Impressions stamps, I'd recommend you at least have a look.  They are wonderful.

Our Beautiful World - Favorite

That's my Katie Clarinet Player to the Drum Major's right (he's in white)

This week at Our Beautiful World, the word prompt is Favorite - as in favorite time of the year.  It is not secret and something I shared before that my favorite time of the year is the fall when my daughter goes marching with the high school band.  However, if I think back I find that this wasn't always the case.

Any sense how difficult catching this girl in motion is, let alone when she's flung wide with abandon?

This used to be my favorite time of the year - softball season.  'Course we played spring and fall ball, so I can't technically claim fall - though there was something magical about the fall season.  My husband used to coach the team and Katie as a pitcher.  

When high school began, Katie decided to put up her softball mask and glove and join the marching band.  We were inwardly disappointed as we had loved the time spent on the field.  However, we recognized this as the beginning of her finding her way and making her own choices.  So we traded the softball field for the football field, to watch this...

And to see this...

With the wonderful blessing of watching her in the Fiesta Bowl parade a couple of weeks ago:

Chandler High School Marching Band - who took 3rd place in the Fiesta Bowl parade of all high school marching bands!

Four and one-half hours on the street to watch your kid march by in less than a minute.  That's her in the foreground to the right of this picture.  She smiled and waved like she was Miss America - and to us she was.

As my kids get older I'm starting to realize that us parents are learning just like they are.  We're learning how to let go.  How to marvel at their growth and independence.  To watch their joy.   When I want to grab a hold of these moments, I make a conscious effort to un-clench my proverbial "mom" fist and let go.  This helps to me savor, to bask in the moment as it passes.

Next fall, I will enjoy the last "fall" of this kind as my daughter will be a senior in high school.  I intend to suck the proverbial marrow from the bones of these moments to enjoy them while I can.  Of course, I'm going to capture a few pictures as I go - to remember, to retrieve, to enjoy the memories of these days. 

In fact, I'm going to start now...

Why don't you stop by Our Beautiful World and share your favorite time of the year?!  There's quite a variety.  Or - just stop by and see what everyone else is sharing.  The collection always inspires and doesn't disappoint!

The Twelve Days of Christmas Miller Style

If it is Christmastime, I'm planning a 12 Days of Christmas gift for my nieces and nephews.  I also gift one set to good friends who have small children.  It is a ton of fun, gives me an excuse for crafting and makes a good gift in times like these where the children I know have everything they could wish for.

I'm starting with the card set I made.  I thought this set would be sufficiently Christms-y, but could be used throughout the winter season for thank yous.  I made a set of four for each family.  This card was a piece of cake to spin out 12 of using my MISTI stamp tool.  I placed the Darkroom Door Yuletide Vol. 1 stamp in my MISTI and stamped in green ink repeatedly.  That took about 5 mintues.  Then I placed the sentiment and heart stamp and inked in black Archival ink.  I stamped all 12 cards in less than 10 minutes using the MISTI.  I then wrapped this twine around the card and then twine to hold the set of 4 together.  I even whipped up a couple extra for my daughter to give to teachers, etc.  Those were more Christmas specific, so I used a gold ink pen to color circle ornaments on the tree.  I didn't snap a shot, but this was fantastic too.

Onto some of the other treats I made:

I used a piece of cardstock to create a cone and then glued kisses to the cardstock.  To fill the gaps, I used some red shiny plastic garland - using a glue dot at the beginning and end of the garland to hold it into place.  I loosely followed this as an guide.

I used this recipe to make my own mints.  Couple of tips - I used 1 tsp organic, pure peppermint oil.  I could have used the 1/2 tsp. as suggested.  I think the organic makes the oil stronger, so if using McCormick or something like that - maybe 1 tsp.  Also, when the cream cheese gets warm it gets sticky.  I used the Cricut to cut wax paper circles to layer between the mints to try to keep them separate.  You can barely see the wax paper.

I thought these were so adorable so I just had to lift the idea.  The snowflake was cut using the Cricut out of white cardstock.  The red is a rather opaque washi tape - I worked fabulously.  I used my paper trimmer to cut the rectangles and then my corner rounder to trim the corners.  After gluing the hat together, I stuffed the clear treat bags with the hot cocoa mix and marshmallows.

This year I made the bags rather plain - stamping with my Graphic 45 12 Days of Christmas stamps.  I first stamped with white ink onto the kraft lunch bag and then stamped a second time with a colored ink.  Some of the images were a bit difficult to read, but all were legible.  Here's a complete list of the gifts and the phrases I used:

On the first day of Christmas, my good friends gave to me….

Pear trees are not particularly pretty and so we thought you might enjoy these mints instead.  [cream cheese mints]

On the second day of Christmas, my good friends gave to me….

Something to prevent a Chappy Christmas! (Chapsticks)

On the third day of Christmas, my good friends gave to me….

All the things you need to make a very smart [felt] French flag.  Do you know how to assemble these?

On the fourth day of Christmas, my good friends gave to me….

The calling birds thought you might like these note cards to send out your gratitude.  [thank you cards]

On the fifth day of Christmas, my good friends gave to me….

We thought you might enjoy something to do with all your time off.  Make an angel or five!  Then hang them or give them away!  [Supplies and instructions to make paper clip angels]

On the sixth day of Christmas, my good friends gave to me….

Something to make the house smell fantastic!  [one pot simmer potpourri, anyone need some whole Allspice?  A pound of this was cheaper than one container locally which wouldn't have been enough.  now I can make this simmer until I die with the amount of Allspice I have...and I'm assuming I have a very long life!]

On the seventh day of Christmas, my good friends gave to me….

Celebrate! Celebrate! Celebrate!   [sparkling cider - a tradition every year]


On the eighth day of Christmas, my good friends gave to me….

With all the milk provided by those maids, surely these snowmen will come in handy!  [hot cocoa snowment treat bags (above)]

On the ninth day of Christmas, my good friends gave to me….

The ladies thought you might enjoy some pretty gel nail color for your tippy toes.  This stuff will last even if you dance the night away!   [gel nail polish]

On the tenth day of Christmas, my good friends gave to me….

With all those lords a leaping around, we thought you might need this to get into shape and join them!   [ jump rope]

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my good friends gave to me….

All the supplies need to make your own flute/pipe.  Then parade around the neighborhood like those pipers and go a piping!  [supplies to make these]

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my good friends gave to me….

Isn’t that Christmas tree put away by now?  No?  Well then, put this one away in your tummy!  But be sure to share because everyone loves a chocolate on a Christmas tree!   [kisses tree above]

All the bags will have now been open.  I hope that the kids get the same joy out of opening these and doing the crafts as I did making them.  Thanks for indulging one last Christmas craft.

Art Impressions Happy Birthday Card

I said that I would be using my Art Impressions watercolor stamps and so here I am, sharing one of my early cards.  I used the Art Impressions Foliage, Flowers and WC Containers stamps to make my lovely scene.  I used a technique much like that found in their videos.

These stamps almost make a card by themselves.  I'm so pleased that I am sending this to one of my blog friends to wish her a fabulous birthday.  I'm hoping it cheered her day.  I hope it was special, Karon!

Our Beautiful World - Calm

I've long maintained that Chandler, Arizona experiences some of the best sunrises and sunsets in the world.  Part of the reason is likely the amount of particulate contamination in the air, but I suppose we'll count that in the win column of living somewhere with poor air quality.  The El Nino weather effect that the US is experiencing right now is increasing the beauty as we have an unusually high number of days with clouds on the horizon.  I snapped these series of photos from our front and backyard during my mother-in-law's birthday party a couple of weeks ago.

I just had to post these photos in response to the word prompt over at Our Beautiful World.  The word prompt is Calm.  Post Christmas rush, this is a very good word.  It is that time of year where I leave the house in the morning just before sunrise in order to watch the sunrise as I drive to work.  I then, if I'm lucky/smart/attentive, leave work at about the same time as the sun sets in the evening.  I get to watch the sun set as well.  This is in great part due to the fact that I travel about 40 miles in a mostly North-South direction.  If you are going to have a 1 hour commute, might as well have a light show to watch.

All that to say that watching the sun rise and set induces a state of calm in me.  I can remember watching the sun rise with my baby girl, Katie, at the top of the stairs.  That was almost 16 years ago now.  It was soothing to both of us early risers then and it remains calming to me now as well.  Why don't you snap a few photos of what you think of when you hear the word Calm and join the fun over at Our Beautiful World?