Monday, April 16, 2012

A Card with a View

Hello, friends!  I'm happy to be here today to share a card I made for the current challenge at A Blog Named Hero to make a card with a view (i.e., with a window in it, on it, or through it). 


My card has a window through it, and the sentiment was stamped with Latte chalk ink on the inside of the card to show through the opening.  I used a Spellbinders Labels One die to make the window and to mask the inside and add some distress ink around the edge.  The flowers are embossed in white and painted with water colors; the pink flower is popped up for some dimension.  The background stripes were stamped with Poppy chalk ink onto a Poppy note card; the leaves are made from a Nellie Snellen branch punch.



Here is a view from the side to better illustrate the window:


Congratulations to the winners of the first challenge...there were some amazing entries!

We are done with our spring break and the kids are back to school now...I go back to work tomorrow.  (Sigh.)  We had a wonderful Holy Week and Easter, spent lots of time with family, and then mid-week we enjoyed a three-day trip to Washington D.C. and Mt. Vernon in Virginia.  Here are a few pics from our trip, including Arlington National Cemetery, the Capitol building, and a beautiful view from the breezeway of Mt. Vernon (the home of George Washington):

Arlington National Cemetery

The U.S. Capitol Building


View from the breezeway at Mt. Vernon


Thanks for stopping by...have a fabulous day!
Judy

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Easter!

Hello, friends!  Happy Easter!  Just stopping by to share some Easter cards and some pics from the past few days; we are off for Easter vacation and have been busy, busy, busy! 

First I have some cards to share...I will be entering some into the CAS-ual Fridays challenge:


I know you might find a bunny is your basket, or an Easter egg...so here are two cards that fit the bill:

Not chocolate, I know...but it could be!

I know, the bunny is sitting on the egg...hope that's not a problem!

Here are the Easter cards I made for our moms:



(If you want any details about the stamps I used above, just leave a comment and I'll get back to you.)

Now on to some fun stuff..

My son celebrated his 13th birthday on Friday...how can it be that my first baby is a teenager?  He is our little miracle, born pre-term weighing 2 lbs, 14 ounces and 14 inches long.  Now he is nearly as tall as me and his voice is deeper than his dad's!  He is a true gift, a gentle soul, and I couldn't be more proud of the young man he is becoming. 



On Friday night we dyed Easter eggs (although we don't hard boil them since no one here likes hard boiled eggs...must be very careful!).  We add other decorations after the dye dries...



On Saturday, we hosted an Easter egg hunt for the little ones on our street...my kids love stuffing the eggs, hiding them, and helping the little ones fill their bags.  So sweet!


I'll have more pictures as I upload them off of the camera...we went to the Easter Vigil service on Saturday night and it was absolutely beautiful!  This morning we are hanging out, enjoying a beautiful Easter morning, and getting ready to go to dinner at my mom's where several of my siblings will be there with their kids...gonna be FUN!

Happy Easter, everyone!
Judy

Monday, April 2, 2012

Playing Favorites!

Hello, friends!  Just stopping by with a card I made for the very first ever challenge at A Blog Named Hero ...we have been challenged to make a card using some of our favorite Hero Arts stamps.  This comes after a wonderful week of previews by some extremely talented ladies...you MUST check out this new blog if you like Hero Arts products at all...and really, how could you NOT

Now, ladies, this is a difficult challenge, mainly because I have so MANY favorites!  However, I reached for the stamps I use the most and here is what happened:


Of course I reached for the Clouds (no pun intended!) for the sky, the Designer Woodgrain on the fence, the Envelope Pattern on the grass, and one of the sweet little girls from the Sweet Wonderful You set as the main image, cut out and popped up.  The flowers behind the fence are from an old HA woodblock stamp called "Three Gems" with I stamped and re-stamped after coloring with markers.  I plan on giving this card to my niece for Easter (I stamped the Happy Easter sentiment from the Celebrate Everyday set on the inside).  The grass and fence punches are by Martha Stewart.

See her popped up?  Even the gem in her headband flower is from Hero Arts!

By the way, this girl image is the first ever image I've colored with my new Copic markers!  Yes, I resisted for a long time but I have officially taken the plunge into the world of Copics.  (Special thanks to all who have answered my questions regarding best color choices for skin, cheeks, grass, hair, etc.!)

I will also be entering this card in the current Simon Says Stamp "Anything Goes" Challenge, where my card will be something like the the 925th entry!  (Yikes!)

That's it for me today...thanks for stopping by!
Judy

P.S.  Thanks for all your very kind comments regarding my last post; our family appreciates your well wishes and prayers.