Valentine and Stripes

It warmed up to 20 degrees today and I figured it was a good day to take Sissy dog for a walk on the Crevasse Moraine Trail system not far from home. The trails are groomed in the winter for cross country skiing, dog sledding, snowshoeing and hiking. The trail map has shows the trails measured in meters and I have yet to calculate how many meters we walked to convert to miles. The steep (yet small) hill climbs kept me warm from the inside out but the backs of my legs ached from the cold as it cooled off with the coming dusk/darkness. I had lightweight long johns on under my jeans, but no snowpants over them. Other than that it was a good walk, for both of us! Especially since the days are getting longer, it didn't get dark until after 5, wooohoooo!

Anyway...I finished up the last 2 cards for the January swaps I had committed to.

The Valentine.

Not having a large heart stamp or template (yet), I used the Mini Round Envelope punch, then cut off 2 of the curved tabs leaving a heart shape! The 2 tabs could also have been folded in making a heart shaped partial envelope. I've done this on a few cards in the past but since I was placing it in the upper corner of the card, I didn't see the need to keep it as an envelope here.

Stamp: Love-Katie & Co ($1 stamp from Michaels); Ink: Classic Rose Red-Stampin'Up!; Paper: DCWV Text Prints matstack, Cardstock; Fiskars edge scissors, hole punch; Punches: Ek Success small heart, McGill Craftivity Mini Round Envelope, Offray ribbon

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Any theme with Stripes Background

This stamp of flowers is one of my favorites. I used to use Mom's until I found my own : ) I really like the colors and the fine stripes on the paper. You can't tell from the pic but those "dots" between the stripes are really heart shaped! I couldn't pick any one color to highlight here so went with both brights, I don't think they clash too bad. I slightly folded each petal of the punched flowers in half to help them stand out, then topped off the centers with some glitter glue.

Stamps: Milkcan with flowers-Great Impressions, Thinking of You-unsure; Ink: Vintage Sepia-Versafine; Paper: Loverly Strip-pebbles inc., cardstock; Tools: Flower punch-EK Success, Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Oval & Lrg Scallop, Stickles glitter glue

Birthday card swaps

Here's 2 more cards I just finished up for swaps. The first is the Men's Birthday Card using Blue, Brown and White. A few of the men in my life are hunters so when I read this swap, a wild animal stamp came to mind. This is one from the Stampin' Up set - Yukon.

I like Blue and Brown combos, man card or not. I wouldn't normally use white with this, it looks so bright but that's what I get for using such dark colors. After the card was assembled I saw it needed something else. My first thought for embellishing is always ribbon with a bow or knot but that wouldn't do on this man card! I didn't really leave much room to add anything to it like brads or eyelets so I decided on adding brown (copper-y) glitter glue along the embossed stripes. I don't think my man will growl about brown glitter. : )

Stamp:Elk-Stampin'Up (Yukon set), Birthday-Lasting Impressions with Panache; Ink: Stampin'Up-Chocolate Chip (Elk), Adirondack-Denium (Birthday); Cuttlebug Embossing folder-Distressed Stripes; Stickles glitter glue-Cinnamon

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The next swap is a Lady's Birthday card using Red, Pink and White. This color scheme makes me think Valentine's not birthday. Not wanting to spend too much time thinking about it, I just started playing around, but using the required colors in the process.

I had just bought a couple of small containers of very thin fun foam flower and heart stickers at Target for $1 each (container of 50+, I'm guesstimating). I'm not a big fan of these foam stickers but thought they'd be a good challenge for me to use, for a good price. They were just the colors I needed here! I added dots of red glitter glue to their centers.

I've used this swirl stamp on other cards with paper flowers so I thought it would be ideal here since I didn't have any patterned paper with these colors to play with. The Happy Birthday stamp was 1 long rubber stamp (unmounted). I cut the 2 words apart to make it/them more versatile. This way I was able to mount the words on a block at an angle to fit the white space just the way I wanted it. Well, it was a little challenging to get it about right and mostly straight since they are rubber and not the clear poly stamps like the swirl is. Not my usual style but simple and quick to make. I think some young lady might like it. : )

Stamp: Swirls-Autumn Leaves, Birthday-Endless Creations; Ink: Stampin'Up-Rose Red; Ribbon-JoAnn's; Stickles glitter glue-Christmas Red; Foam flower stickers

White on White, with a little shine

White on White always seemed a challenge for me in the past. I had seen others do beautiful things with white on white in the past but I had never tried it myself. Since I've increased my collection of Cuttlebug embossing folders I wasn't as intimidated when this came up as a swap. I think the embossing helps so much, giving it texture & dimension for wonderful layering.

I used the same snowflake stamp and white glittery embossing powder as I did on one of my Winter Scene cards in the previous post.

Liking how this embossing turned out I had to do it again but with a different background pattern.

I added some more shimmer and shine to random snowflakes in the background by using Sakura's glossy and Clear Stardust glitter pens. This card can go either landscape or portrait. Actually they both can but this one seems to lend itself to either direction for some reason. : )

Stamp: Snowflake-Inkadinkado; Ink: Versamark; Cuttlebug Embossing folders: Herringbone (1st card), Snowflakes (2nd card); Other: Winter Ice EP-Creations Unlimited, White brads, Offray sheer ribbon, Spellbinders Nestabilites Classic Scallop Oval, Sakura Gellyroll Stardust pen- Clear, Sakura glossy pen-white

Winter themed cards

To motivate me to make some cards this month I'm participating in a few card swaps for a couple of groups I'm in. The first swap I'm attacking this week is a Winter Scene "Thinking of You" card. I made a few cards using some of my favorite winter themed stamps.

In the effort to stretch myself, go outside my comfort zone, I used a couple of different papers from the DCWV Holiday Collection - Winter matstack. These penguins from Art Impressions look like they're having some winter fun! I stamped them on scraps of white paper then cut them out after adding color and sparkle using markers and a glitter pen. I also used Crystal glitter glue on the snowflake side to show the hill the red hatter is sliding down, you can't quite see all of it in this pic.

Stamps: Penguins-Art Impressions, ToY-Endless Creations; Ink: Stampin'Up Classic Black, Adirondack Stream (ToY); Paper: DCWV Holiday Collection-the Winter Matstack, cardstock; Other: Tombow markers, Sakura Stardust Clear glitter pen, Stickles Crystal glitter glue

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This card isn't as busy looking, more my style. It started out as more of a curiosity as to how well the snowflakes would show up on this light blue printed paper using white glittery embossing powder. I kinda like it, tho it looks better in person than in this pic. All of the blue cardstock does match the blues in the printed paper, up close.

Stamp: Snowflake-Inkadinkado; Ink: Versamark; Embossing powder: Creations Unlimited-Winter Ice; Paper: DCWV Holiday Collection-The Winter Matstack, Cardstock; Other: Ribbon-JoAnn's Santa Collection, Fiskars wavy scissors

Now I just have to decide which to send as the swap card and who to send the other card to : )

Walks along the River

We had snow here in Vancouver for a couple of days, right between Christmas & New Year's, but it has all melted off now. My sister and BIL have returned home and I am soon to part for home in AK myself! It was nice to spend some time with family, esp. while hubby worked.

Vancouver WA has several historic sites, museums and parks with its links to the Lewis & Clark Expedition, Fort Vancouver, Chinook Indians, and the Kaiser Shipyards of WWII.

On nice days (not rainy or too windy) I enjoyed walking the Waterfront Renaissance Trail along the Columbia River, near our hotel.

The river flows between Washington and Oregon. This bridge crosses into Portland. Part of it raises for large ships and barges to pass as they head in from or out to the ocean.

A "Rosie the Riveter" memorial honors the ladies who worked in the Kaiser Shipyards here during World War II.

This Rosie is a very large lady, marching toward the river. There is a miniature ship and house at the base of her legs.

I love the details of this metal memorial, including the colored glass used to depict water below the ship.

This is only one of several stone tablets of names arranged in a half circle behind the lady of steel.

A little ways from Rosie sits a bronze statue of Ilchee, a Chinook Indian woman.

She looks out over the river.

Beside her, a row of Town Houses line the river, making it a popular pathway for local walkers and joggers. There are also a few rather tasty places to eat along this route making it all the more enticing for us to take an evening stroll.

Happy New Year 2010!

Lookin across the Columbia River, from Vancouver, WA, to Oregon. Lose a ladder?

Hope this finds everyone safe and warm as they start the new year! A new year, new month, new day, new hour, how will you spend it?

I don't make New Year resolutions, or promises I can't keep. I know I'm human and lazy and things happen beyond my control, so why set myself up for frustration, any more than usual?! : ) That doesn't keep me from coming up with a goal now and then that should seem reasonable and attainable, like:

• Call any family member at least once a month
• Organize my crafting stuff/area or at least the cardstock or ribbon or stamps
• Get out and hike, camp, or ride at least once a month
• Start seeds for the garden in early April (and not wait or forget till May)
• Read at least 1 novel and 1 informative book a month
• Make Birthday cards for family members

Time flies by and I don't do many of these things, but I don't get too frustrated with myself about it, or try not to...most of the time. I need to take one day at a time, knowing God is in control and I believe He doesn't give me more than I can handle with Him as my strength and hope! With Him, I can do anything, anything I put my mind to.

Now if I would just get off my lazy rear and make something rather than just wish I would manage my (fleeting) time better, some day, so I can have more fun crafting...! One can think too much and accomplish nothing other than to tire and depress oneself or to motivate oneself, albeit too late.

Time for bed. Good Night, and God Bless!