It has a song

Hi Everyone,

Last week I was busy prepping and delivering my card classes for the month. Now, since that's over til next month, I sat down and worked up a card for Sparkle N Sprinkle. I just received a few new stamp sets and I think you will like them. This card uses stamps from set 496, Bird Song. As soon as I saw  the bird on the wire image, I envisioned this card. Kind of reminds me of bunches of birds sitting on wires we all see from time to time.

First, I brayered the colors on my cs panel. I haven't done that in a while and it is a great way to apply color to your panel.

Next I stamped the birds, but since the bird image doesn't quite fit across the card, I just stamped it again to have the birds go all the way across the card. Next I just drew in additional lines to make it look like there were 5-6 lines. Easy Peasy. 

Well that is it for today. Have a great week, I'll be back soon.

In Memory

Hi everyone,
A few days ago a great friend of mine lost her mother to cancer. Her visitation is tonite and she will be laid to rest tomorrow. In memory of Jan's mother, I made a card to express my sorrow. Thought I'd share this with you today.

 This Thomas Kinkade image, The Open Gate,  always reminds me of someone passing. I don't know why but it does.

Have a great week and I will be back to share some new images that I have just received.

Flowers from the Bow Maker

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for stopping in today. Wait til you see what I have for you today. Last week when I was looking for items to make my Derby Hat, I bought a spool of  yarn wrapped wire. And of course it was pink. LOL

Well as luck would have it, I didn't need it. So this spool of wired yarn has been sitting on my work area, just yelling at me to do something with it. Well today, after I finished  part of a project I'm working on, I wondered, what I would get if wrapped the yarn around the pegs on the Craft-Dee BowZ tool as if it were ribbon. You have to see what I got!!!!

A  FLOWER

This is so cute. Maybe it's a little too dimensional  for a card or a L/O but it could go on a package or maybe a pin.

Here is how I made this.

I first got the tool out and set it up with the pegs to be about 4 1/4" apart. 

Then I wrapped the wired yarn around the pegs, just the same as if it were ribbon.

I wrapped 4 full times

Then placed the left  tail over the other like you do with the ribbon. Next that tail on the top,  bring it under and thru all the wired yarn and back over the top. This would normally be the know in a ribbon bow.

Then instead of  tying a knot just twist the tails together.

Twist it pretty tight and twist all the way down the other tail. So now you have just a stem.

Remove the wired yarn from the tool

Start to position the loops. I have shaped them in a round fashion.

Keep pulling them gently into place. I worked on one side then went to the other side and fiddled with it til it looked like a flower of sorts.

And here it is my finished flower.

Funny how things wind up. I bought this for possible use on a Derby hat and wound up making a flower.

Well I hope you give this a try if you own the Craft-Dee BowZ and if you don't have one yet, you can purchase one here.

Have a great week

Sparkle N Sprinkle Blog Hop

Hi Everyone,
Welcome to the May Sparkle N Sprinkle Blog Hop. This month's theme is "At the Beach".If you have arrived here from Cindy's blog then you are in the right spot. If not, you may want to start at the Sparkle N Sprinkle Blog for all the details. Leaving a comment on all the blogs from the beginning makes you eligible for great prizes. Prizes to be awarded are: a grand prize (stamp set of your choice) and 3 hidden prizes on 3 different designers blogs. And we don't even know where the hidden prizes are. Here are the designers in this months blog hop, in case you get lost.

** Donna Ellis **  Marie Berquist  **  Cindy Keogh  **
** Barbara Bruder (that's me)  **  Keri Brown ** Cammy Vietzke **
**  Karin Martin  **  Brigita Skopas  **  Jackie Smith  **
** Dawn Bennett  ** Karalee Ingram  **  Anne Temple ** 

**  April Williams **  ** Shona Erlenborn **  Brenda Smalle **

  WOW,  pretty soon we will be planning for vacation at the beach. Doesn't that sound wonderful. Maybe you have a little one and her birthday is coming up in the summer months, maybe she loves mermaids. How about a beach party at the local pool. Our projects  will give you inspiration for anything in the beach theme.

Let me share with you the card I made.This card is a side step card and I used images from the darling stampette set 477S Serene Mermaid.

 I also used some Cypress greenery for the background. I glittered it up to make it look like sparkly seaweed.  I glued those small seashells on the front border and added the stamped conch shells to the first step and used a sentiment on the back step. 

Here is a close up of the mermaid

Directions to my card can be found here.

Products used on the card:

Directions for the side step card template here

Serene Mermaid Stampette set 477S

Brushable Glue

Listen to the Beauty (verse) in set 404 Ocean Treasures

Orange Surprise Glitter 

Black Memento Ink

Seashells

Alcohol markers

Corner Punch

Well its time to hop on over to Keri's blog to see what she has designed for you.

Don't forget to leave a comment, to be eligible for the prizes. 

Thanks

Hi Everyone,

I was at Sam's last week and saw potted Calla Lilies and just drooled over them. Didn't buy any, but they were so pretty. I was in a hurry so maybe I will go back this week and check them out.

Today is my day to post over at Craft-Dee BowZ (CDB)  I recently bought a stamp with calla lilies on it and it was sitting in my box of new stuff waiting to be used. Well I remembered the lilies at Sam's so I decided to use this new stamp. (This stamp just screamed at me so I had to buy it.)  LOL

Anyway, I decided the pale green ribbon I  received for this month from CDB  was perfect for the card I made with  these lilies. I made a double looped bow. Since this ribbon is wired, it will hold it's shape. I really like working with the wired ribbon for that reason. I added some beads that I strung on some wire, to act as an accent to the bow.

BTW, I know you like to win prizes, who doesn't, Craft-Dee BowZ is hosting a monthly challenge. You can access it over at their blog on it's own tab. Here is the direct link. Please check out the new challenge and I sure hope to see your entry over there.

Have a great week, see you soon.

The Derby Hat

Hi Everyone
Well I had a great weekend and thought I'd share with you some of my weekend. Being from Kentucky, I love the Ky. Derby. Been to the Derby many times when I was younger. Went to the infield and partied and had a blast. I still love the Derby and Saturday was the first Saturday in May which means it was Derby Day.The Derby is famous for Mint Juleps and fancy hats.

This year I had a class to teach on Derby Day, so Joan, the owner of Simply Said Rubber Stamps, where I was teaching, decided we should celebrate and and have bourbonless mint juleps and of course we should wear our finest Derby hat. I decided to make my hat. And Friday I went on a quest to pick up the items needed to make the hat. (Nothing like waiting til the last minute.)

I wish I had taken a picture of the items before I assembled the hat, but here's what I bought:
a pink child's headband with a crown attached with beads and boa feathers
a pink drink cozy
pink fun foam
a pink bird with a hat.
pink butterflies
a pink and white daisy flower
ribbon

I was in pink mode I guess.LOL

OK can you picture those items in your mind??LOL  Well after I got home with my treasure trove of goodies, this "derby" hat came together is about 10 minutes.

Here is the finished hat.

Front view

Back View

Here I am sporting this ca-ute hat

Sorry this pic of me is a little blurry, but you get the picture. This hat turned out so cute and was so easy to make and fun to wear.

Hmmmm maybe I missed my calling, milliner extraordinaire. LOL

Hope your weekend was nice. It rained all day Sunday and is supposed to rain today as well. Oh well the grass is a lovely green and is growing by leaps and bounds.Have a great week.See you soon.

Craft-Dee BowZ Challenge for May

Hi Everyone.
Today is May 1!!! I have 2 posts for today and they are both about challenges, so scroll down to check out the other post.

Today is a big day over at Craft-Dee BowZ. They are beginning to host a monthly challenge on their blog.
Their theme this month is: Anything Goes with Handmade Bows.

The theme is really wide open, you can use stamps or digital images made by ANY company. Boy that make it so easy to submit something, doesn't it!!!

Also they have a monthly prize, a Bow Maker tool. So if you are bow making challenged, you have to enter this challenge to win this easy to use  tool.

Since you can use a bow on anything, I used a clear box. I added a piece of DP to the top and bottom of the box and then added the ribbon and a bow. I actually used 2 different types of ribbon and made these bows in two different sizes, then stacked them together. Here are 2 pic's of the box.

This box was hard to photograph, first its a clear box so I added designer paper to the box to be able to photograph it better. Next, as I was taking the pic's it was hard to see the bow from the front shot so I photographed from more of a top down angle as well.

Thanks for stopping in today. Scroll down for one more post for today!!

Sparkle N Sprinkle Challenge for May

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for stopping in to see my 2nd post today.

 I am so surprised at how fast the 1st third of the year has flown by!!! Speaking of May 1st, that means its time for the May Sparkle N Sprinkle Creative Challenges.

SNS Creative Challenges gives away a free digital image each month when you use a Sparkle N Sprinkle rubber stamp image of if you use a purchased digital image.

Here is this months freebie is from Beccy Muir. Beccy is a digi artist and has a great selection of digi's over at Sparkle N Sprinkle.(Click here to check her digi's out)

Here is a card I made using this cute digi.

This months challenge is based on color.

(Color swatch courtesy of Design Seeds®)

Click here to see what the incredible design team have made using the color swatch as their inspiration.

Hope you can join in the great Challenge this month over at Sparkle N Sprinkle Creative Challenges.

Have a great week!