Gracie Mae Cat - Memorial Stone

Well, I'm back! We have had a very peaceful day beginning with church this morning and working in the garden and yard this afternoon. I decided that I would get back to creating, but I chose to work on the stone for my cat Gracie Mae. Gracie died in March and I buried her out near the garage and placed one of my painted stepping stones to mark her grave. I knew I wanted to paint a special stone for her but have just kept putting it off, but today I knew it was the day to paint.

Its' funny a lot of people seem to think that painting is really easy for me and in ways it is, but I start and stop and redo all the time. So I sketched what I thought I wanted to paint on the stone. I use chalk and it is my best friend as it wipes off after everything is completed or when I need to make changes. I drew flowers around the top and wrote in her name, etc. and began to paint. This would be picture #1 and I didn't like the flowers and so I painted over it and began again with just three flowers to the side, not planned out, I just like the way the three left looked and so I completed painting them and began on Gracie's name. After I finished her name I realized I did the a and e completely different in Mae than in Gracie, so out came the green paint. Now I have it correct and so I called it complete.

However, now that I'm looking at the pictures (still a little chalk to remove tomorrow) I think I would like to have it say Gracie Mae Cat and have the dates smaller, so you know the drill! Out comes the green paint and I begin again. So now the secret is out - I use more green paint than any other color! :-)

I'm showing pictures from start to finish (almost finish) tonight. If I make other changes I'll post them later, but I thought it would be fun to see a work in progress.

So, I'm back to creating and now Day 97 is complete and soon I'll have all 100 done. Then, I will post, but I will also feel free to skip a day or two - but not yet, it's back to completing the challenge.

I just started to say see you tomorrow and add the pictures and I accidentally hit post! So for those of you who get email updates, you will have two and this one will be the complete one with pictures. Sorry for the inconvenience.  Hope you enjoy - see you tomorrow.

Work in Progress

Wow, what a day!  We filled our day taking care of the details of planning Virginia's funeral service and making phone calls.  That is such a hard thing to do and it certainly reminds you of how much time can pass between visits with family and friends.

I'm beginning to work on a photo display and a digital scrapbook page for the visitation on Tuesday.  So my regular posts here will begin again following Virginia's service Tuesday.

I want to thank thosee who have left comments offering prayer and condolances. 

See everyone again in a few days.

Saying Goodbye to Virginia



Virginia and Bill, Sr. (1940's)



Ladies, forgive me for leaving my creating and posting 100 day challenge behind tonight.  It's day 97, but I will have to go a few days beyond to complete my 100 days, as my mother-in-law died tonight around 6:30 and to honor her and my husband I'm not spending time in my craft room.  Bill needs me with him and so I'm posting, but not creating.

We will be busy for the next few days preparing to say goodbye to a very special lady.  The feelings are very raw right now and the shock is still very much a part of our being and so I will be back as soon as it fits with our schedule and complete my 100 days.  Until then, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  Virginia is in a much better place, but we are left here without her and so healing for us must take place.

Rest in Peace, Virginia, you will be missed.


The Countdown to Day 100!

I had someone do a very nice thing for me this week and so I made a special card (gift card holder) and am filling it with a Starbucks card to say thanks.  This is the first time I've made this holder and I'm really pleased. It's easy peasy to make the wallet style holder; however, I would do a different front next time.  Adding the little pearls and punching out all of these tiny tags took way more time than I  had to give, but it got done and it's a special gift, so I'm OK with the added work.  I saw a card on page 130 and have wanted to copy it for a long time.  Finally I've done it, but as I said it was more work than I expected.  I still and will probably make it again sometime.  I definitely will make the holder.  If you would like the dimensions and directions for the card holder, please just leave a comment or email me.

For now, I'm headed to bed. Hope you enjoy!  See you tomorrow for Day 97! 

Life is a Matter of Moments - Day 95!

I can hardly believe it -  Day 95 of my blog challenge! I can't believe I set myself up for this unbelievable challenge and I can't believe I'm this close to completing it.  Tonight was a real struggle, after three really easy days.  It has surprised me at how this has happened throughout this challenge.  The easy days make me feel like I can keep on going, but with a night like tonight I don't even want to finish the challenge.  But I will, God willing, I will make something and post for the next 5 days and then celebrate and put my stamps and paper away for a few days.

Actually I have a new venture ahead of me and so my posts will be much more sporadic following April 11.

But on to tonight's card.  I found something to case on page 194 of our current IBC.  I changed it up in several ways and then used the sentiment "Life is a Matter of Moments."  I love this set "Under the Stars" it has the cutest stamps, but for tonight I chose five, the bear and the smore to feature, along with the skeeter, skeeter spray and bedroll. The colors are Pear Pizzaz, Always Artichoke and Confetti White.  I cut out the skeeter and the smore to add interest. I used a blender pen and markers to do the coloring.

I love smores and so now I'll be heading to bed thinking of chocolate, grahams and marshmallows - I just bet I'll have very pleasant dreams.  Enjoy and I'll see you tomorrow! 

Spring Flowers

Last night I made a flower card and I've done it again tonight!.  I think because it's spring I want to celebrate all of the flowers that are popping up every where I look.  I live out in the country and my yard is filled with a wide variety of wildflowers (aka weeds).  To me they're all pretty.  A long time ago I ask my landscaper if something was a weed and he responded with the question, "Do you like it?"  When I replied that I did in fact like it, he said then it's not a weed!  I laughed, but now I know he was telling me the truth.

But on to tonight's card.  At this late time in my 100 day challenge I'm looking for inspiration and have discovered that the best way to come up with a card is to look through the IBC (Idea Book and Catalog), find a card I like and CASE (Copy and Selectively Edit) it.  And so once again tonight that's just what I did and the card I used as my inspiration can be found on page 155. 

I used Crumb Cake for the base card and the two layers are Confetti White and Baja Breeze.  The flower is cut with the Big Shot using the Island Floral Die in poppy Parade, DSP Pack Hostess set in Poppy Parade, Old Olive and Whisper White with a Baja Breeze center.  The brad is retired, but we currently have others that would fill the bill.  I stamped the sentiment from Upsy Daisy and used the scallop oval punch and sponged the edges to make it jump off the front.  This was another really quick and easy card.  Our catalog really is an Idea Book - I would be in real trouble on Day 94 without it's inspiration. Pull yours out, whether it's a current one or five years old.  You can always change up the colors and stamp sets to make it current.  On this card I changed the sentiment set, colors and brad.  I made it my card and used what I had on hand, now it's you're turn.

Hope you enjoy!  See you tomorrow for Day 95....



Flower Folds

Tonight's card is a each to make card with some real impact.  I used my Big Shot and the Flower Folds Bigz die to cut out the flower. I used the two smallest flowers and punched a 3/4" and 1" circle for the flower center. The button is from the SAB catalog, Ice Cream Parlor - a great little package of bright colored flower shaped buttons.  The stem is simply a thin strip of paper and the leaves were punched using the two-step bird punch.  I think these are intended to be wings, but I think they make great leaves. 
I used some embroidery thread to tie the button.

The sentiment is from Word Play - I love how they tuned sick into "ick."   Card stock is Pear Pizzaz, Always Artichoke and Melon Mambo.  Ink is Always Artichoke.  Inspiration from page 208 in the IBC.

Hope you enjoy!  See you tomorrow.

Look Who's Turning...

I just love this Look Who's Turning set, but tonight I just used the numbers and the sentiment, not the adorable little animals.  This card was just calling out for a cupcake.  Ok, the card wasn't but I sure wanted one and this was my only option!  :-) 

I actually saw this idea in the back of the catalog using the Big Bold Cupcakes sizzlit.  I have the sizzlit set, but chose to use the Big Bold Cupcake stamp set.  I know it's retired, but I still love it and use it quite often.  After stamping it, I cut the two cupcake pieces out with scissors.

I love how you can stamp all of the numbers and then highlight the one that applies, but if you need an age that's more than 9, you can do that too.  So for tonight, I made a little boy card using bashful blue as my card color.  Hope you enjoy.

Happy I Do Day

Tonight's card was fun, fast and easy.  I found a card on page 214 of the current Idea Book and Catalog and decided to case (copy and selectively edit) it.  I had a busy day and so fast and easy sounded so good and so I grabbed some Blushing Bride card stock, cut it and embossed one half.  Stamped the sentiment from Word Play with Early Expresso ink on Very Vanilla card stock and punched it out with the 1 3/4 circle punch. I used the Victoria crochet trim to tie around the top and attached the sentiment with linen thread.  As I said this was fun, fast and soooo easy and I think it's a very elegant card.  You could change the sentiment and use the design for many different cards.  Hope you enjoy and  are inspired to pull out your catalog and case a card.

And so, I'm off to bed - got to get up early for church. 

Lavender (Devotion)

Tonight's card is made using the Herb Expression stamp set.  Each of the four herb stamps has the herb name and it's meaning i.e. lavender (devotion) and a corresponding sentiment.  I love herbs, but I have not used this set all that much.  Tonight I used markers to color the stamps and left off the name adding flower pots to add interest.  I used my brayer to color the back ground. Card stock colors are Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant and  Pear Pizzaz.

I was inspired to use the lavender stamp as I have my first bud on my lavender plant in the garden.  I just found it this morning, so this seemed to be the right way to celebrate this new flower.  I, also, have three tomatoes on a plant, but no stamp, so my excitement for that is expressed in this little note.

I can't believe this is Day 90 of my 100 day challenge!  I have to admit this really has been a challenge and I look forward to taking a wee break soon from this daily creating.  There are some things I need to make in multiple and just haven't had the time, so that will be first on my free time schedule.  But for now, I have nine more days before the big celebration.

Enjoy and I'll see you tomorrow.