Happy happy birthday

Happy Monday, a little birthday card today.  My life is still about juggling hats, managing with lists and it has helped so much that I have carved out my daily studio time.  It gives me time to reflect, focus in on my goals and create.  Appeasing my must definitely keeps my stress level down, lol.  

I chose a craft paper card blank for today's card, then used a black back drop and a gelli pull.  Chunky photo corners created with Cameo Silhouette and Copic markers.  The shells and fish are also Copic colors, the fish image is a Silhouette Library image.  I also have a new ID stamp done by my friend "Loopy Lou", yeah! I love it Lou.  I am also loving these little string bows lately.  Hope your Monday flows into a beautiful week.  Hugs

Who in the world is Alexander Woollcott?

My card today features a quote by Alexander Woollcott, "There's no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day."  Oh our special days, the ones we wait for, cannot go to sleep the night before them, we wake up to the air crackling with expectations and excitement and when they are over, we sit in wonder and say "that was the best day of my life", we tuck these days away in our heart and sometimes call the memories up to sooth or share. But what about those days we struggle and fear we will not be able to trudge through, we fall short or worse don't even try to keep up, those are the days filled with lessons, the days that solidify the challenge to do better or climb higher, are these not maybe the most important days?  I think better I will write this quote on my heart, so that I remember there are no unimportant days, no one better or worse than the other, each day is a reason to participate in a journey to understand and love the world I live in, to find at least one rose to pluck out even if the day is filled with stink weed.
Alexander Woollcott, American Journalist and critic, New York City, 1887-1943, a member of the Algonquin Round Table ( I have a thing for early 1900 social clubs) another favorite is Studio "219",  Alfred Stieglitz, husband to Georgia O'Keeffe and promoter of some of the greatest "Impressionists and Post Impressionists", he was an artist in his own right with some 2,500+ photographs to his credit.
The background for card is a piece of "ticking" scanned and printed.  Chunky photo corners, a fun bow from hemming tape, and a heart.  I had some play with the quote as I continue my word art obsession.  All colors are Copic markers and some airbrushing.  Have a grand weekend, one day at a time, hugs

Baby Buggy Birthday

Creating over-lays using clear acetate and frosting spray, FUN! then laid the overlay over a spray sheet and scanned in for the card background. Added some silver balls and a piece of string bow.  I continue to go through and clear out some of my stash boxes and found the sticker the other day, it arched nicely over the carriage.  The great thing is the over-lay can be used again and again with different colors and backgrounds. 

As my friend Carole would say "A Slam Dunk" card.  Happy Valentine's Day to everyone, hope your day is filled with hugs, chocolate and flowers.

Thanks Doc

Happy Monday, this card began last week when I took my friend to her post surgery appt. with her orthopedic surgeon.  She had a partial shoulder replacement.  I was sitting in the waiting room and looking around and in the corner was this glorious display case, with a vintage doctor's bag and some antique surgical instruments.  Thank goodness for our I phones, I asked if I could take some photos, got the okay and started snapping away. What a treasure.  The Caduceus and xray are from the internet and I used my broken chevron background.  I had some great studio time last week, I am going for week 2, hope your week is smooth and full of opportunities. Hugs

add water

A new watering can for my stash.  We are getting a wash of rain this week, so water is on my brain, lol.  I found this chart in an old Sunset Garden Book (copyright 1947) and decided it was perfect for my old rusty watering can.  Cats are all cloistered in bunches on top and under each other and the "W" word is not to be spoken, lol.  This has been a fab week, with some studio time and even a book was devoured.  Hope everyone enjoys their Sunday, hugs

Love Squared

Oh my goodness, two days in a row in the studio, I am in heaven.  I slept like a log last night too.  This is my first attempt at "word art", it actually was easier and went much more smoothly than anticipated.  I did the love squared in two steps, first I wrote it out and scanned it in, turned it into an element and cut it out, then I colored with Copics and did the same process over.  This definitely has a vintage feel to it, I loved the old spinner cards, the inner spinner is a Tim Holtz piece.  The hands are from an EKSuccess punch and were colored with FW "Old Copper Plate Gold" ink.  The tiny tag is an old Quickutz die.  We are getting a little relief in the drought this AM, much needed rain.  Be happy, hugs

Magic

Some days just call out for a little "magic". What better place to find it than on our studio tables.  Big chunkie photo corners have been on my creation list and I have been having so much fun with them.  The first of the year I pulled out all my calligraphy pens and nibs and one of the things on my list is to do some serious play with lettering, it is easy to get lazy though and just go with what you are used to, so will really have to concentrate on that one.  The hands are a line drawing, coloring Copic markers.  Photocorners were colored using Copic markers, THdistress inks and Viva Gold Metallic rub.  Happy Wednesday, hugs

Heart Speak

Broken chevrons, a double string bow, a faux blackboard block and some gilded hearts, a simple valentine. Heart colors are Copic makers and Viva "Inka Gold" Metallic Rub.

It is Monday, I am full of inspiration and my calendar does not look like a road map for a marathon, hugs

Dog People Are Wonderful

My time is still not my own, but getting better, I am pulling at least a couple of hours a day from my studio.  I promised a friend I would do some "thank you" notes for her, she is a dog lover and will be sending them out to a few friends that have helped her through a crisis.  I did not have time to sit and sketch out an element, so I used a Spellbinder's Die and an image from the Silhouette Library to create what I needed.  I used a crate paper background on a craft paper card blank.  I created the word block using a piece of chipboard and again a spellbinders die and then created my own photo corners.  Hope everyone has a marvelous Super Bowl Weekend, hugs

Trash Retrieval

Have you ever found yourself pulling something from the trash you threw away?  These threads have been sitting on my table for months, I move them from one little pile to another.  Yesterday I got tired of looking at them and moving them out of my way, so I tossed them in my trash can.  This morning as I was playing with this idea for a bookmark, I was on my way to my ribbon stash when I remembered the cast off strings and turned around and dug them out.  There is a certain amount of satisfaction in using something I thought not worthy to keep.  Chipboard and my Cinch for the holes, a piece of scrap background and one of my little birds morphed into a bookmark.  The end of the strings are tied together on two washers.  I love bookmarks almost as much as I love my books.  Happy Thursday, hugs