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Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Campbell turns 5!

Amazing how time flies... our granddaughter, Campbell, will be 5 years old on September 27th! She is really into gymnastics, swimming, soccer, princesses and preschool! Her favorite color is yellow and she is just a delight!

Here's my card for her:


From my new PTI Shakers & Sprinkles Kit, I cut the scalloped heart from PTI Classic Kraft to make the window. The actual shaker is on the inside of the card because I think it will get a lot of sprinkling before it bites the dust! It is attached with Scor-tape for that reason...

The angel on the front is stamped with Versamark from SU If The Halo Fits and white heat embossed then colored with gold Wink of Stella. The cupcake stamped on the inside is from SU Create a Cupcake in SU Real Red with SU River Rock as the frosting, and multi color stamped sprinkles. The shaker is filled with colored sprinkles - which are one of Campbell's favorite things... on cupcakes or ice cream, of course!

The stamped greeting and the Spinkles die cut is from the PTI  Kit. Happy Birthday is stamped with Versamark and gold embossed, the numeral 5 is die cut from silver glittered paper.. I can't believe I didn't have any gold! So I made the silver sequins match :)

The smaller edge of the shaker is done with black to help make it pop... the outside larger edge if the heart is diecut with the same yellow dotted paper as the word die. 

Happy 5th birthday, Campbell Grace! 

I still find myself having to follow the directions given on the Kit to make the shaker. I am sure I'll get more comfortable as I continue to make them. I tried to do a maze with the A-Mazing die set, but it was a disaster with that double sided stick foam sheet. 

I think I will need to go back to Will's card to layer the mazes again, without the Kit materials. It worked better for me ... Next up I want to try the falling leaves shaker card from PTI Mighty Oak set...

And a new sister will be here for Christmas for Campbell and her little sister, Lyla Kate! Ahhh... a baby card!

Mom's Day

If you told me that we'd be celebrating 91 with Mom this year, I would never have believed it! She is such a spirit... and it is so difficult to watch her suffer so! I think it is the feeling that we lose her so much more everyday, some days more than others.

Now that Mom has agreed to hospice at the nursing home, she seems to be in less pain when I see her ... finally!  It took quite awhile for all of the pieces to come together according to Judy, my sister who bears most of the family brunt of Mom's care.  And it seems to be so different from the hospice program here in Vermont.  Maybe the training I attended is what they would like it to be like - and the reality is very different. From my perspective, it just seems to be another hoop to jump through.

Here's my card for her-


This is my all time favorite card ever! I made it in the online watercolor class from Jennifer Rzasa's class example.  It is pencil sketched freehand and watercolored with Distress inks mixed with Perfect Pearls on Tim Holtz watercolor paper that is painted wet first - the shine is amazing! Hard to see in the picture...

The greeting is from PTI Mini Blooms and thinking of how much I love hummingbirds - that love from my mother- it just fit!

Happy birthday Mom! I love you!

I have tried some other free sketching and watercoloring- but none match this one- yet! I look on Google images and get some other bird and flower ideas to get me started... still a newbie at it! Oh I loved that class!!

Here's my catbird...


And my Oriole...


Then really brave.... Papillion! This one needs more practice for sure!


I thank Jennifer Rzasa for giving me the courage to sketch and then watercolor... and I keep practicing not only to improve but because I find it so therapeutic .. relaxing... 




My Sister's Day

My sister has a birthday on September 22nd. It is a great chance for me to let her know how much she means to me- and that is hard to describe!

Judy has always been my older sister- just by a little! But that time gap has certainly shrunk over the years- and we realize more and more how connected we are- always! With Mom in a nursing home, I really keep connected by Judy's daily texts to let me know how she 's doing.

But it isn't just that, although that is certainly a lot! It is her concern for my family and all of our connected similarities- she is just the person I know I can always count on! And I want her to recognize the same with me-

Here's my card for her-


This card was made when my order from PTI arrived with Botanical Blocks I! Using Neenah solar white paper, I diecut the SSS Happy Birthday greeting and inlaid the PTI patterned teal cut of the same with Zig 2-way glue and Glossy Accents.  I did use Post-it tape on the reverse side to hold it in place as it dried. 

Using Tim Holtz watercolor paper, I stamped the flower in Distress Antique Linen and watercolored using Peacock Feathers, Broken China and Salty Ocean. The greens were Mowed Lawn and Peeled Paint. The same patterned paper for the greeting was also used as a layer under the watercolored paper.

When I use this technique again, I will take more care with the Glossy Accents. I feel like it left too much shine to notice. I wonder how Perfect Pearls would work if I painted the whole greeting side?