Mmmmm Death by Chocolate?

Sent to a friend who is a 'sweetie' lady. I am trying out Corel Paintshop PhotoPro X3 for this photo, soo.....

Another dear friend sent me the pink doily die cut (thank you) and image is colored with Copic markers. Inside is "Chocolate" and I wish I had used Memento Tuxedo Black rather than their gray so it would have turned out sharper and clearer. But this stamp set is a lot of fun to use!

Thanks so much for visiting ~ I appreciate it very muc

 

The Geisha

My mother comes from a remote area of northeastern Japan (the part that really got devastated by the earthquake and tsunami of 3.11.2011. We have family there.

Geisha were well trained in Japanese dance, music, arts, listening, and polite conversation, as well as dress and make up application. The wealthy business men would stop by for drinks, food, and to have a beautiful woman just sit and listen to him, not complain or recommend anything, dance and sing for him, and he would leave feeling like a real man again. Anyway, they weren't what many people think they were.

It was a very tough, competitive world, where jealousy drove some geisha to sabotage younger or prettier geisha - burn them out, steal their kimono or makeup, hair jewels (very expensive) and whatever else they could. (Read Memoirs of a Geisha, or see the movie. It is fictional, but much of what happens, really did happen.)

I made the butterfly by stamping with VersaMark, covering with Perfect Pearls, heat setting, and covering with about 3 coats of UTEE.

 

I appreciate your stopping by -- with aloha, Rosy

Solitude

The mountains, ahhhh! Nothing like the beauty of nature. Sure miss hiking, camping, and long drives to anywhere. This scene reminds me of Mt. Rainier in Washington State.

I appreciate you visiting my blog -- thank you!

Forgotten Voyages

This is a beautiful Art Impressions stamp that I fell in love with. I am drawn to the isolation of the place this boat came to rest, the loneliness - lack of people, birds, even foliage. I imagine the wind blowing and the faint crashes of waves farther out, perhaps a sea gull crying in the distance - hear it? I kept the card monotones of grays which reminds me of living in the Pacific Northwest -- where I think I saw every shade of gray in the sky there could possibly be.

It doesn't appear that this vessel is going anywhere soon, so it doesn't really need the anchor charm I tied to the center of the black twine. But it needed a sparkle without being over the top.

 

Thank you so much for coming in, and taking a look! I appreciate you each of you!

A Moment in Time

As we get older, and the decades roll by so quickly, we look back and see flashbacks of ourselves. I realize that each moment of life may be captured in our memory, a photo, different pets, places, or with another person. Then I began to compartmentalize portions of my life as a life of its own. For example - preschool life, elementary school life, junior high and high school life, then college. Getting married life, crumbling marriage life, single parent life, happily married life. Work life, raising children life, and so on. But then comes the getting older and older life, with more limitations squeezing out the life I used to live.

When I saw this stamping image, it felt like almost looking at me in my 20s, a very long, long time, several lifetimes ago.

Thank you for visiting - I appreciate you!

Sweet Air

Don't you just love House Mouse? Me three!

I wanted to just keep it CAS (clean and simple). Colored with Copic Markers, added a bow from Gina K. Designs and 3 rhinestones in the corners. I dropped a touch of Diamond Stickles here and there. Stamped on Pure Luxury 80# white, and kraft cardstock by Gina K. Designs.

Thank you for looking!

Welcome Baby

I don't usually make baby cards, but look -- my friend Shari, in Canada, sent me a lot of crafting items. The beautiful butterfly is from her, too.

I don't know who made the image, though, but it is super cute!

Colored with Copic Markers, butterfly wings, butterfly 'trail,' sponged background and sentiment with VersaMagic inks. Sakura clear marker adds a touch of sparkle to all the metal on the carriage. I put a single pearl as a button on her jacket. Pop dotted the layers.

Entered into:

Outlawz Twisted Thursday Challenge, Anything Goes with Wheels 
                     

 

Thank you for looking!

 

Mahalo (Thank You)

I'm very behind on thank you cards. I hope my friends will forgive me. But here I go, and begin making them ~

This one is for a local friend. She is really from Japan, and it's so cute to listen to her speak English. Sounds like my own mom. English must be a very hard language to learn after spending decades speaking one's own mother tongue. I really admire people who try!

I used three different stamp sets by Gina K. Designs: Pretty Patterns, Aloha, and Vogue Vases 2. It was very fun to keep it simple, just a couple layers, and using pink rhinestones in the centers of some of the cherry blossoms. I stamped one of the Pretty Patterns along the bottom, and colored parts of the circles pink. You can't tell but I used Sakura Glitter Pen in the uncolored parts of the pink circles.

Entered into this weeks Challenge at StampTV

 

Thank you for looking!

 

Welcome Baby Boy

This is a card made with such a simple stamp set by Pebbles "Arrival Baby Boy." I have another set for a baby girl, too (card will come later :)

Used the Spellbinders Fancy Lattice die for the background. I loved it the first time I saw it used on cards. 

Entered into:

                    SCS MAR13VSNMINI1 Welcome Baby card

                    Cuttlebug "Star" Challenge 

 

 

Thank you for looking!

 

  

Tag for Friend

This is for the STV challenge hosted by Lee this last week.

I love using the color wash with distress inks, and spritzing the inks with shimmer spray before soaking the colors into the cardstock. Previously I had used white embossing powder for the floral design. Added brass eyelet, dark green twine and several blue and green beads.

 

Thank you for looking!

Thank You for my Nurse

She's such a sweet gal. Used Marcy stamp by La La Land.
Added a silver cat charm since she is holding a kitty in her arms.
Colored with Copic markers.

Thank you for looking!

Triple Stamped Asian Card

Trying to think of a different shape other than square/rectangle for triple shaping, I picked out Spellbinders Labels 5 and cut out white & black labels. Temporarily layer the white cut outs with the largest on the bottom, then layer the next largest, followed by your smallest cut outs. I just use a little adhesive on the backs. Take your main stamping image, and start stamping all over the three layers. When you are done, take the layers apart.

You are ready to assemble the two colors of layers onto your card - see below for finished project.

I used Sakura glitter pens to add some sparkle to the smaller stamps, cut out red tissue paper flowers and put a gold brad through the center. Add red crystals and a sentiment - finished. I also stamped a black fan inside the card to carry the theme through.

Entering into the following challenges:

• Simon Says Stamp - "Black and White with a Splash of Color" (for me the color is Red)

• The Outlawz Greeting Challenge - "Use something new, and add a brad" (New Anna Griffin stamp set, and a gold brad to center of flower)

 

Thank you for stopping by to take a look!!!

 

Sara and the Snowman

Finally finished this card for our 16 yr old granddaughter. She loves the snow, and their family lives high up in the mountains in California. Now I can get their cards into the mail.

Technique: Vertical Tri Fold Card

I used Liquid Applique, Perfect Pearls, Stampin' Up Dazzling Diamond glitter, Martha Stewart Snow glitter flakes -- anything to bring a 'brrrrr baby, it's cold outside' type of feeling to this card. I also colored a clear snowflake with Copics and tied it on with twine. Finally I added a silver snowflake to the sentiment, and a Martha Stewart punched snowflake to the flap on top.

Challenges Entered: Gingerloft
                                  Through the Craft Room Door
                                  Basic Grey #84, Anything Goes w/BG product (BG Marjolaine pattern paper on bottom panel of card) 

 

Thank you for looking!

Special Day

Finally, I made the belated anniversary card for our son and daughter in law. I feel badly that I just haven't had the strength to make everything I've wanted to, but life and health do that sometimes.

It's shabby chic. I used white cardstock from Gina K. Designs, and tan cardstock by Bazzill. I stamped the Irish Blessing verses (Stampin' Up) onto the white cardstock in Sahara Sand Memento ink. I also used same ink and Memento Rich Cocoa for depth while sponging.

Spellbinders layers - I love them! If you want the exact names of what I've used here, contact me. For easy WOW factor, add clear glitter pen onto lettering, flower centers and stems. I also outlined some of the layers and champagne glasses/bubbles with them (Spica at You clear glitter pen, and Sakura clear glitter pen).

Sentiment on front of card "Arranged with Love" by Melanie Muenchinger (available at Gina K. Designs). Sentiment on inside right of card "Toss the Bouquet" by Fiskars. Champagne Glass embossing folder by Darice. Both embossing folders on front by Stampin' Up (Manhattan Rose and Big Shot Square Lattice).

Entered Into:      Outlawz Paper ala Mode Challenge

Front:

 

Inside:

 

Thank you so much for looking!

A+MAZE+ing

This is a just because card for our 2nd youngest grandson, Evan. He is very bright and loving, so we dubbed him A+MAZE+ing! Each child is so unique and lovable, cherished for their individuality.

Stampin' Up has a sale on these 'maze' kits (are you old enough to remember playing with these from the Cracker Jack boxes? No? Um, never mind!). I took the back off and stamped it in red ink with a design from Anna Griffin. Otherwise it looked kind of plain.

Evan loves the color red, and I wanted to add black for the contrast. I used Gina K. Design papers and her heavy weight black cardstock. The Cuttlebug Twig embossing folder looks a bit washed out in this photo, but it's on the red cardstock.

New Uses for Punches? Maybe this is an old technique, but it's new for me. I hand cut the rectangle papers for sentiments. Then I used square/round punches on the ends to make the 'v' or 'half circle' shapes on the ends.  To make the 'V' or fishtail shape, just turn the square punch to kitty corner on the end of your rectangle tag, then punch.

I curled Evan's name with a pencil for dimension and pop dotted all the sentiments inside the card.

Melanie Muenchinger made such a fun set of alphabet stamps ("Lots of Letters" available at Gina K. Designs), so I can make custom sentiments ☺

His brother's card is below, also red and black (but made for an Outlawz color challenge). What a coincidence!

 Entered into:  Through the Craft Room Door
                        Anything Goes Challenge
                        Simon Says Stamp - New *I used two new paper punches received
                        today
Front:

Inside:

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Thank you so much for looking!!