Weekly Post: New Year's Edition!

 Out with the Old and In with the New!

Happy New Year to me and you!

The theme this week at Sunday Postcard Art is Winter Woodland Wildlife and is hosted by Mandy. I went digital this week, using a digital image from Conjurer of Dreams Etsy. 

And I added the sentiment in PSE, which is a play on words, mocking the American reality television series franchises The Real Housewives of Orange County, NYC, Atlanta, New Jersey, DC, Beverly Hills, Miami, Potomac, Dallas, Salt Lake City and Long Island. International versions are RHO Dubai, Cheshire and Athens.

Snarky I know, but I bet my party animals are more interesting!

😛😜

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I needed a few more New Years decos, so in my free moments I made two.

This one features Gecko Galz collage sheet images, a door and welcome mat die, Prima Finnebair Vintage designer papers, pink card cut with MFT photo corner dies and an orphaned red blossom I'd fussy cut from somewhere cut in half and tucked in at top right and bottom left. I used a Micron pen to draw over the images' sentiments to make them easier to read. The message is: Welcome to the New Year.

I wanted to show the stenciling I did on one of the designer papers (you can see the original paper underneath the stenciled one). I used an Artistcellar stencil and Tumbled Glass DI. I love that the yellow in the paper made the ink look more like Peacock Feathers (a little experiment I tried, with success). Distress inking around the edges with some Vintage Photo finished it off.

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And here is the other deco I made. Oy, this took forever due to me not using just one stencil but several with the Stickles Glitter gels (again). I think I will stick to using it only with a single stencil at a time from now on. Anyway, I cut the QK city skyline die out of TH silver Kraftcore and The Stamps of Life sentiment dies were cut out of black card with a gold card shadow. I used some black card stock on gold Kraftcore as the base. I also added little NYE party sequin shapes and used my metallic Poscas to draw stars and make lots of dots.

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Well, that's it for me.

As always, thanks for the visit. I appreciate each and every one of you!

I hope for Many Blessings to all of us in 2026!

XOX

Merry Christmas! December 24th Weekly Post

 Greetings on Christmas Eve!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day tomorrow, be it with family, friends or solo.

We are doing the solo thing this Christmas and having our favorite: steak!

Honey made some carrot raisin salad and we'll also have some au gratin potatoes and Brussel sprouts. 

The theme this week for Sunday Postcard Art is Open and is hosted by Mandy.

I needed another decoration for New Years and used my new-to-me A Colorful Life stencil called Pop the Cork. I added some glittery washi tape and items from my New Years bits and bobs box to create my piece. The stenciling was done with Distress Inks and then I used my glitter markers to highlight the ink. 

I know it's not even after Christmas yet, but I'm all full up with smaller decorations of that theme. Next week's theme is Winter Woodland Wildlife and I'm making another New Year card. 

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I do need more large Christmas decorations, so I created this 7x7-inch Deco.

The dies I used are: Sizzix Impresslits Star, Stamplorations Nativity and sentiment, and Lawn Fawn stitched hillside. The dark blue dp is from the DCWV Pearlized and Metallic Luxury Stack. I used some Stickles Glitter Gel and a Sheena Douglass Rays stencil on the dp before adhering to a silver Bazzil card stock cut slightly larger. The ground was created with some black Bazzill cut with the LF die. I rubbed Tim's embossing ink dauber across the top of it after die cutting, then I brushed Perfect Pearls Bronze powder over that to create the illuminated ground for the Nativity manger (cut out of the same black card stock as the ground). I cut the sentiment die out of a scrap of Tim's Copper Kraft-Core card stock. I used a dark gold card scrap to cut the star.

I had fun using the Stickles Glitter Gel and also the Perfect Pearls. I need to use them both more.

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I had this Paper Nest Dolls digi printed out in my box, so I colored her with Promarkers and metallic gel pens, then cut her out using a Spellbinders labels die. I also used the dies to cut 4 matted panels out of dp paper scraps, which I used my Fiber Friend ruler to punch faux stitching and outlining around the edges of each one before adhering. The Stamplorations sentiment was stamped in Versamark and heat-embossed using Ranger Lemon Yellow powder. The purple card base is SU.

And the sketch I used.

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I still have some die cuts (the bears and trees) from a calendar I bought a decade ago. I also have some leftover card blanks with the pretty edges, so I added some mystery dp cut with a Stamplorations stitched rectangle die, some die cut stitched circles, my calendar die cuts and a Lawn Fawn Falalala die cut sentiment across the top.

And the sketch I used.

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I had one small print leftover of the Art Impressions scene that I'd stamped, watercolored and scanned in to use for some cards the last two Christmases. It was the perfect size for this Sizzix/Tim window die. I used a white Recollections card base, some mystery dp that looks like wood as a base paper layer, and then the elements of my scene on top. The Christmas tree is a CD's stamp Heat-embossed in gold and fussy cut, then colored with watercolor brush markers. I arranged some pine branch die cuts from my stash with a bow I cut out of the wood grain dp. I added the sentiment pulled from Tim's Seasonal Chit Chat Stickers and outlined with a white gel pen.

And the sketch I used.

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That's it for me.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Holidays!

Seeya next week,

XOX

December 18th Weekly Post

 Hallo, lovely peeps, hope you are all surviving the holiday rush.

I have been a very busy bee this week and I have big personal news, unexpected but blessings happen in their own time. Details after the art.

First up: Festive Foliage is the theme this week at Sunday Postcard Art, hosted by Mandy.
As I am winding down from Christmas cardmaking, I opted to use what I already had ready, so I looked through the bits and bobs box and found this A Day For Daisies digital image called Five Robins In Winter that I'd printed out and not used. I colored it with Promarkers and added glitter using Icicle Stickles and a clear glitter brush marker on the snow. I had some extra greenery bits in the box and added them. I think they are from Amazon, HOTP, I/O and Sizzix. The sentiment strips are from Tim Holtz's Seasonal Chit Chat Sticker book. I had just opened and put away a new-to-me Tim Layering stencil, Brush Marks. I keep them in page protectors in binders, and the black and grey backing sheet was sitting there orphaned, so I cut it to 4x6 and used it as the base after ink sponging it with Tumbled Glass DI. 

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And I also have a couple of guy birthday cards to share:

This card is completely ink and edge distressed with DI's. Orange Chatterbox card stock base, and designer papers are LilyBee Designs Happily Lost collection. I used dies to cut the circles and sentiment label. The Gerda Steiner sentiment is stamped with Versafine Clair ink and heat-embossed with clear powder. Those crazy party monsters are stamps by Brett Weldele, a pretty well-known cartoonist in that genre. I stamped them, heat-embossed them, fussy cut them, and then colored them with my Promarkers, adding some acrylic paint pens in here and after. I had fun with it. And the recipient was happy.

And the sketch I followed.

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This card was made for my nephew who started his career working for the State Dept. in DC and is now transferring to the Commerce Dept. as a Special Agent stationed in NYC. He's training at Glynco right now. (I have to brag a bit, we are all so proud of him.) I used the other Brett Weldele stamp set I have for this card, Steampunk Gents. I thought that the old banker-looking dude stamp went well with some of Tim's gentlemen and striped dp in his French Industrial paper collection. The stamped sentiment is Pink By Design. Every layer is ink distressed, but instead of using the distressing tool again, I was able to cut all the layers with my Carnation Crafts Pretty Shabby dies.

Oh, and the burnt orange color was deliberate. His undergraduate degree is from University of Texas. Hook'em Horns, Old Chap! 

And here is the sketch I followed.

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Okay, so here is our BIG NEWS:

We found a house! Not just any old house either.

Feel free to peruse it HERE and you will see what I mean. 

I do not know what has come over us both, but we've fallen in love with it.

After a lifetime of living frugal lives in little 1800-square foot homes, we have the money and want to experience living in a house so big we get lost in it, lol, and with some nice amenities. The house's design is a bit of an adventure the way it is laid out. I am going to inquire about a floor plan and hope there is one. But seriously, there are SO MANY closets I may not be able to fill them all, and that is saying something. I could literally have a separate closet dedicated to each season's decorations. I am not going to have to downsize or throw away any of my stuff! And every time I think of all that wall space, I start dreaming of painting large abstract canvases to hang. And I could frame and hang every one of my 4x6 pieces. And I can decorate the living areas in a more neat, minimalist style, which makes cleaning easier, because all the clutter is in the closets!

Oh My Gosh, I'm practically orgasmic thinking about it! 

😀

Honey loves the tiny backyard (easy maintenance), the front yard trees do not drop their leaves (yay!), all the windows on the back of the house have a clear gel in them that repels heat and noise, plus you can see out but not in, so we will try to go curtainless. Honey is in love with the kitchen, too. He practically drooled over all the counter space. LOL, he said today he can't wait to NOT have to take the air fryer down from on top of the fridge to use it. I added, also your Kitchen-Aid mixer and your digital Seal-A-Meal. 

And we won't even mention the Butler's Pantry off the dining room, because that blew my mind when I saw it.

Anyway, I could go on and on, but this all happened when we gave up looking. I had kept eyeing this neighborhood because it's a newer part of the same neighborhood I grew up in, but no houses were ever for sale except tiny ones. All of the sudden, 5 big ones opened up this month. We looked at them all.

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Well, that does it for me this time.

I thank you for hanging in on this long post and I apologize for not visiting blogs this week.

I promise to catch up over the weekend.

I'll be sharing the remainder of my Christmas cards next week, hopefully Wednesday, in time to wish everyone a Merry & a Happy!

Hope to see you and until then, may the spirit of the season bring you peace, comfort and joy.

XOX

December 10th Weekly Post

 Hello! Hope your week is going great.

Honey and I have been feeling lousy, so despite my planning I am behind on Christmas card mailing and decorating.

The theme this week at Sunday Postcard Art is Angels, hosted by Sabine.

I had not ever remembered using either of these very old stamps I bought from Stamp Magick, probably before there were even clear stamps, lol. So, of course that decided it, as I do have other choices. The sentiment stamp is a Daisy Mae Design freebie from Issue 89 of Creative Stamping Magazine. Ink used to stamp was Versafine Clair. The coloring was mainly pan watercolors, with some Tombows and glitter markers and pens. Silvery stars from my stash. The 4x6 watercolor card base with feathered deco edges was a pre-cut Amazon buy.

So, I thought it would look great on an A7 card paired with a DCWV purple glitter mat cut using a Carnation Crafts Decorative Rectangle die.

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Next, my last 3 cards using my Summer stash. They all have A7 Kraft card bases and paper scrap layers. The focal images were printed from Gecko Galz digital college sheets.

CC Designs Sentiment was stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed with white powder.

Shiny sea shell sequins from my stash.

Another CC Designs sentiment stamped in Versamark and heat embossed with white powder, then die cut using a Spellbinders label die. White stars from my stash.

CC Designs sentiment again on navy card stock and die cut. All mats/base layers were cut using Carnation Crafts Pretty Shabby dies. The last of a wide length of felt lace spans the card horizontally, barely seen but providing interest and movement. The base mat was ink edge distressed with Distress Chipped Sapphire ink.
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That's all this time.

I appreciate your visit very much

and

I hope you get some crafty time.

Seeya next week!

XXO

December 4th Weekly Post

 Hey there everyone, glad you're here!

We had a delightful Thanksgiving family get together last week.

The weather's been COLD the last few days.

And I finally made another batch of pimento cheese and it's delish.

I'm working on addressing my Christmas cards to mail.

This week at Sunday Postcard Art, the theme is Dictionary and is hosted by Anne.

I've made 2 pieces of 4X6 art because I'm going to frame them and hang them in an open spot on my breakfast room wall. 

Both have card bases covered with pages torn from a really old paperback dictionary.

And both have stenciling.

For the first one, I stenciled a brick background using Fired Brick DI and a TH layering stencil. Then I ink-edged with Prize Ribbon DI. Then I cut out the definition of bake/baker/baking/etc., highlighted it in yellow and adhered to my piece. I took a navy and a black Aquarelle pencil and edged around it. I glued on rolling pin, spatula and oven mitt die cuts I had already in my stash. I chose some small round sticker alphas to spell Baker on the rolling pin. The focal image is an Artistic Outpost stamp, The Baker, that I stamped with Bluebell Versafine Clair ink and clear heat embossed. I colored it with watercolor brush markers to finish. 

The second one is for everyone who needs a reminder to wash their hands in the kitchen plus nun humor is always good at our house. This very old Sunday International stamp had never been used before, so now was the time. I stenciled the dictionary page background with a Dylusions stencil and Fossilized Amber DI. I ink-edged with the Prize Ribbon DI. I die cut a Memory box bubble die out of white card and layered it on the card base and under the focal. I cut 2 small Spellbinders crosses out of red glitter paper and added them. The focal was stamped with Strawberry Versafine Clair ink and sponged with Mustard Seed DI, then the words on each side of the nun are filled in with red glitter gel pen to match the glitter-paper crosses.

November's Christmas card theme at Splitcoaststampers was Donuts (sledding or breakfast).

I resisted until the last minute and then broke down, using clipart from Sweetest Prints Studio Etsy (the image) and Gecko Galz Etsy (the sentiment frame) that I had in my files. For the image, I layered the donut with the bow onto the coffee and donut image in PSE before printing out. I used an old precut card blank with a decorative edge along with a mystery dotted paper scrap.

Inside it says "Christmas Calories Don't Count!"

heeheehee

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Here is my mother-in-law's card for her 96th birthday which was the day after Thanksgiving.

And the sketch I used.

The SEI Couture collection designer papers were cut with a Spellbinders Hem Stitch die and edged diagonally with a dotted paper from the collection. The stamped and die cut flowers were colored with Promarkers and the sentiment was die cut using HunkyDory dies.

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Well, that's enough for this week.

Thanks for the visit and I hope your weather, shopping and crafting are good.

Seeya next week!

XXO