This Year & Topaz Card

 Aloha!

I'm sorry for not keeping up with everyone's lives, blog posts and beautiful creations. Talk about a challenging year!

My husband, Bruce, has been having a hard time with his memory. It took me a couple of years to see it. The signs were vague and not consistent. I thought it was just forgetfulness. By the time I and the doctors put the puzzle pieces together, I was super stressed. Since March we've been busy with all sorts of new doctors, long tests, lengthy appointments and changes in his medications and how we approach day to day living. But Bruce is my favorite guy and boyfriend not to mention husband so somehow we will walk this new journey together. I hope to get cards made and out to so many of you. 

Becky (TLady) & The Teapotters at SCS have recently filled my mojo with love and encouragement. Thank you, Becky and all the friends in Teapotters group at SCS!

This card:

I made 3 of these similar cards and one of them for Becky. It's very simple, using a die cut for the front edge, adding the topaz-like bling, a little ribbon and the "friend" but it's a big step for me and feels good. 

Stamp Set (leaf) "Autumn Splendor" kit by Gina K. Designs

Ink: GKD

Cardstock: GKD and SMS

Die Cuts: "Friend" and leaf by GKD 

(I'm sorry I forgot which I used for the border. It's either SMS or Spellbinders? Oops.)

Ribbon and bling

Thank you cardmaking buddies everywhere.

Each one of you is a gem!

Stuffed Tummy

Hi dear friends, 

I am learning how to operate a new phone. I really had no idea a camera could take clear pictures on a phone. This is only the second day I've had it so please be patient while I figure out all the stuff. It's a Samsung S10. I bought it used but with a little warranty to save some money. Sure beats the old Moto G6. I had to perform CPR on it so many times but now I can't get the microphone to work. I need a microphone in order to talk. I will need to perform some surgery on my laptop after parts get here. It's under warranty but the company is ignoring me so far. A story for another time. 

I have been coloring on the days I've felt really without mojo. Here is a sweet mouse that got inside a bird feeder and ate till he fell asleep. It's so adorable it makes both Bruce and me smile to look at him! 

I hope to enter this into House Mouse challenge but may be too late. I don't have gingham or plaid so I stamped stripes in two directions to create squares.  Then I added a pink dot in the corners of the squares to try and make it look gingham. 

Stamp Set: Feeder Friends by House Mouse; Diagonal Lines by MFT

Cardstock GKD

Ink: Memento

Copic Markers

PPP sequins

Multi Matte Medium

Thank you for coming over and taking a look - lots of love to you and yours! 

The Sunflower

Hi, there!

Glad to "see" you!

I love the Gina K. Designs Autumn Splendor stamp and die set. I know it isn't autumn anywhere but the sunflower is such a happy flower. I wanted to send it to a local friend to say "Hello!"

I only used color pencils and one gray Copic marker for the flower outline. I love that technique from watching Melanie Muenchinger outline her flowers. Super simple to use the color pencils but takes a while to layer all the colors and blend them out. I do not use Gamsol or other products, just the pencils because the texture is so soft. When using the oils or Gamsol, you can achieve a look similar to alcohol markers but I seldom use it anymore.

Wishing you a safe and pleasant day, rain or shine. Life is hard.


Stamp Set: Autumn Splendor by GKD
Cardstock: GKD
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black
Prismacolor Pencils; Copic Marker C3
SU Fine Tip Glue Pen
Sequins and clear drops

All my best to you and yours!

Keep on stamping 🦋

Yellow is a Happy Color

Aloha friends,

How are you doing? I mean, really. How are you?

I ask because the last few months have felt overwhelming for me. I feel like I'm in the deep ocean, it's cold and I'm treading water. Some days seem much easier to stay up but other days, well, maybe I choke on some water, but hey, I'm still here!

Bruce is ok, just older and more frail. His memory is not as good as it used to be. He has taken a few months off from Home Depot to decrease exposure to the public. We do not see a time when he can go back yet. Isn't it like living a live, horror and science fiction novel or film, without an ending yet? I guess that is what my brain is struggling to accept and endure, just like most people are doing. Bruce misses working but we do not want him to get sick on top of his age and heart and gut challenges.

When all else fails, emboss resist. I'm not kidding. I can cut out dies and color images, but for the stretches of time when I hit the wall, emboss resist. It's easy, never turns out twice the same way, gives you a sense of completion fast and you have a little hand-made gift to share with someone else who might be struggling, too. Thank you, #ginakdesigns . You taught me most everything I know about cardmaking 🤟

For now I am not on social media much, nor can I watch any news because of the overwhelming feeling. So please forgive me when I miss some of your posts. On better days, I can check and see what you are up to and leave some love for you! Oh, and I am able to complete cards and get them mailed out - it's a miracle for me and I'm celebrating that every time I can get to the mailbox and send sunshine! Here's to all the better days ahead! 🍻🙏🏽🏄🏼‍♀️


Stamp Set: My Favorite Things "Etched Flowers" and sentiment is by Flourishes
VersaMark Embossing Ink
Wow Pearl Embossing Powder (it leaves a pearly sheen)
Inks: Gina K. Designs
Cardstock & Envelope: Gina K. Designs (Hey, the envelope is stamped both sides with the VersaMark Ink and MFT flowers stamp)
Tag die: (I think it is) Spellbinders (It's from one of the die-cut and save in a box days)
Crystals, Glittery Perfect Pearls (in the tag holes)

I made and mailed out some pink, blue and purple cards today using the same stamp and technique, different sentiments and tags.

Emboss Resist is my friend.

Thank you for coming over! 

I'll be ok - just rough waters at times.

Take good care of yourselves. Text or write someone alone 💜

Meditation for today: Psalm 112, all of it, and esp verse 7

Space Monkey

Aloha, friends!

We have friends whose daughter & hubby had a baby! They decorated his room with monkeys and space lol! Sweet, huh? I had to make a card, so here is a monkey in space!

I saw the Cheeky Monkeys come on sale at Clearly Besotted. Other monkey images just didn't seem to do the trick. Once these arrived, voila! To make a helmet for the little guy, just draw a simple circle around his head and fill it in with Glossy Accents or something similar. I put the monkey on an Action Wobbler for some fun! He is standing on a sketched out weird semi circle for the moon.

This was about the sixth try to make a galaxy background. The distress oxides just looked too chalky for me. The dye inks lacked the pow factor. I kept trying with regular distress inks and the card is finally finished.

The new mom and dad also picked blues and greens for his room and that is why the front of the card has a green layer and the inside has a blue one. Whew. Diamond stars are all over the envelope and white base of the card. Throw a bunch of clear crystals and call it done!

Stamp Set: "Cheeky Monkeys" by Clearly Besotted; Starry background by Hero Arts
Inks: Distress, Delicata Silver (moon), VersaMark (background) and VersaFine Black (images); Bleed Proof White by Dr. Phil Martin's (the stars flicked on the background with brush and water)
Cardstock: GKD
Copic Markers, Prismacolor Pencils
Clear Embossing Powder (stars on card layer and envelope)
Glossy Accents and clear crystal gems
Action Wobbler

front--

inside--

Cheeky Monkey!

Mahalo for stopping by!!!

Thank you Delivery Guy!

Aloha,

Here is a Mahalo card for the endless UPS drivers who deliver our packages. Boy, have I ever kept them busy over the last few months, and I truly appreciate them. I hope to bake more and leave more chocolate chip cookies in bags for them - buttery goodness despite their new year determination to get in shape LOL!

A sweet lady on SCS recommended this older stamp set to me. It's by Paper Trey Ink. I have not shopped there much at all so to find this on sale (they had a ton on sale, clearance) was sweet! It has a generic type truck but lots of little designs to add to it. It's hard to see, but I added a gold stripe down the side of the truck with sparkly ink and one of the decorative stripes in the set. The road is a stamped image that is part of the set, too.

I doodled a little driver man behind the wheel, the ocean and lots of little flowers on both sides of the road with sand. That really looks like the area between the airport in Kona and town - dry and yet beautiful. We live up high at 1400 ft and in lush jungle coffee tree belt, no sand. It rained a lot this morning but it is all sunny now. The birds are gathered at the bird feeder and the ocean is deep, dark blue. I can see little spots of the sea between tree fronds. Hopefully, we can take a few trees down (we have a forest) just to get a better glimpse of the ocean.

I hope you have a very good weekend!


Stamp Set:  On Sale in Clearance, about 70% off and includes dies!!!
                   https://www.papertreyink.com/last-call/special-delivery-stamp-set-die-bundle/

Cardstock: GKD Ivory, Black
Ink Versafine, Delicata Gold
Distress Inks background w/blender brushes
Copic Markers
Decorative "Loopy" frame die by Gina Marie
Wink of Stella, White paint pen

Mahalo for taking a look!

With hugs until next time!