Merry Christmas

I'm looking forward to spending Christmas and New Year's with my sons, daughter-in-law and granddaughters in South Carolina. To all who drop by here, I wish you joy now and throughout the New Year.

This is one of the cards I sent to friends and family. The stamp is by Inkadinkado, the ink is SU Night of Navy, cs is SU Night of Navy and Whisper White. Image outlined with silver pen.

Who Has Seen the Wind?

No one, of course, can see the wind, only it's effects, which are all too visible outside my window. It began boldly blowing during the night, and is supposed to continue through tomorrow. I can't remember ever experiencing a wind like this.
It keeps attacking the lids of the dumpsters in the apartment parking lot, howling around the building like a banshee, and is trying to tear off the branches of the trees just outside my windows. It's accompanied by rain that's trying to melt the snow from the past two days, but not succeeding too well.
The cats, wisely, barely stuck their noses out the patio door this morning; when the wind goes up their ears, they turn tail and head for comfy, warm corners. I hope the weather is kinder where you are.
The cards are the answer to a challenge on the Inkstainers Facebook page, "Use Your Newest Stamp." The tag is my answer to Inkstainers' "Make a Tag" challenge. The stamps are from the Fresh Vintage set by Stampin' Up;  the little owl was made with the Stampin' Up Two-Step Owl punch.

Anything Goes...

...Almost! I missed out on participating in the Art With No Boundaries challenge, "The Eyes Have It," but this fortnight's challenge, "Anything Goes," allows me to make up for that. The central image is from Third Coast, the Palm frond is Stampington, the two masked ladies and the sentiment are digital stamps from CS Designs. The ink is SU Wild Wasabi. For some reason, Blogger has cropped this card; it actually has a green border on all four sides.
Using so much green helped brighten up the day. Would you believe that I awoke yesterday morning to a snow fall? It was still on the ground this morning, so the only green visible is this card! Living in Québec City means that one can't let the weather influence one's moods. A joyful life has to be built on something more solid.

Butterflies and Helicopters

Yesterday, from my balcony, I witnessed the takeoff of hundreds of little "helicopters"; the winged seeds of the maple trees that flank my balcony. Every time a gust of wind shook the trees, whirling, dancing seeds took off to find welcoming earth to settle into.
I had recently watched a documentary on Monarch Butterflies, who winter in Mexico, and migrate in groups of thousands, making a journey seemingly impossible for such delicate creatures. The seedlings, too, are delicate, and not all land in a nurturing place.

If such fragile creatures dare impossible journeys with no visible help or encouragement, what can I not accomplish with friends, family and faith to support me!

The project in these pictures is one I've been at least a couple of years getting to. I used a kit from CardKeepers http://cardkeepers.com/wp/ which I covered with cs and stamped images. Now I don't risk having the cards I've received in trade or as RAKs get damaged. Having them easily on hand means I've got another source of inspiration.
Whatever you do today, I wish you success.



                                                                                 

Craft Stamper Designer's Choice 2

It's a glorious morning here, and I'm taking a mid-morning coffee break with a friend in a couple of hours, so this day is beginning very well, indeed!
Yesterday, I posted a card with colors based on the "Designer's Palette" in the May issue of Craft Stamper magazine. Before you ask, no, I don't get a commission, free stamps or anything else from the magazine for mentioning it; I just like to give credit where credit is due, and also, perhaps point others to creative ideas. The palette in the article was burgundy, cream and coffee. I didn't have any burgundy ink pads, so I used SU Cranberry Crisp. I used Cocoa from Color Box and SU Very Vanilla for the other two inks and liked the combination so much that I've made another card using the same color theme. The cs is SU Very Vanilla and Close to Cocoa. The lovely Geisha is Stampington's The Calligraphy Robe. The calligraphy sentiments are SU, from Kanji and Dream Garden. The ribbon is also SU, but I can't think of the name right now, and probably never will.
The Geisha and I wish for you a day filled with tranquility, harmony, love and creative dreams.

I'm Bugged & I Love It

The bug arrived yesterday--the Cuttlebug, that is, along with my first two embossing folders. Naturally, I just had to make a card with each right away. I've learned that it's not a good idea for me to make cards when I'm excited, because I glued the heart background on upside down, didn't realize it until it was scanned! Oh, well, at least it was a learning experience.

In case you can't tell, I love the bug! It's so easy to operate, and there are new dies and embossing folders out that I'm salivating over. (Hope that last isn't a "yeurk" factor for anyone.)

Thanks to Bren Hollohan for taking care of my purchase.