Sailing on Sunshine

 Hello again!

Here is my other card for today - - 

Been wanting to play in Freshly Made Sketches for a long time and finally got the opportunity to do it. When I saw the sketch by Verena, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  I pulled out an old die, Oceanscape, by Honey Bee Stamps.  I didn't realize I haven't used this die for a couple years.  <GASP> It's a cool die and while may not look like it, but is pretty versatile.  I pulled out some watercolored backgrounds and went to town.  I think the hardest thing was choosing the colors for my sailboats and the cover plate for my background.  I am very happy with the finished product.  Those sailboats are by Catherine Pooler.  They are layered stamps and very fun to stamp once you choose your colors.  So I hope this brightens your Monday!

For Following Challenges:

Card Supplies: 

Stamps: Sentiment - Itty Bitty Summer (My Favorite Things); Sailboats - Sail Away (CP Designs).

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock

Ink: Dress Blues, Blue, Raspberry, Samba, Catching Rays Something Blue(CP Inks)

Extras: Circle frame die - Nested Circles (CP Designs); Sea circle die - Oceanscape Die (Honey Bee Stamps); Sun Ray die (Lawn Fawn); Sailboat dies - Sail Away (CP Designs). 

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

“To practice any art, no matter how well or how badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. So do it.” – Kurt Vonnegut

Nance

Rare & Beautiful

Good Morning Monday! 

Hope your day has begun with sunshine and smiles! I have sunshine and coffee and ready for a busy day.  Even on vaca, there are some chores like laundry. But before that, I have a couple cards to share. I was a crafting fool yesterday after enjoying a gorgeous coolish day by the river.  This is one of the fruits of that labor....

For Following Challenges:

Card Supplies: 

Stamps: Sentiment - (My Favorite Things).

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock

Ink: Minted, Sixteen Candles & Glam (CP Inks)

Extras: Seashell Frame Die & Stencils (Waffle Flower); Wave Die (Lawn Fawn).

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

“To practice any art, no matter how well or how badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. So do it.” – Kurt Vonnegut

Nance

Just Bee-cause

 Good afternoon Sunday!

Hope your weekend has been going well.  Gorgeous sunny day with low humidity here at the riverbank.  I was going to spend the entire day crafting, but the sun and scenery beckoned out for a while to soak it all up.   So now I have a card to share!  

Back in June, I was suppose to go for a crafty day at Bonnie's to spend with her and our mutual crafty friend, Nancy Kern-Leppek, who was visiting NC, but then my mother got ill and I had to go to SC and missed that day.  If you saw this post then you know my mom passed away a couple weeks later. When I finally got home three weeks later, I had many sympathy cards waiting for me, including one from Bonnie and one from Nancy.  Nancy's also included a few envelopes with various die cut cuttings.  One of these were these adorable bees and bee hive from Pixie Dust.  So when I saw this challenge the other day, I knew I had to use them.  Luckily I had included them in the crafty stash that made it to the river house with me.

For Following Challenges:

Double D Challenges - Bee Happy

Card Supplies: 

Stamps: Sentiment - Hi Honey (Honey Bee Stamps).

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock

Ink: Midnight, Goldenrod(CP Inks)

Extras: Bee, bee hive, hexagon dies (Pixie Dust Designs); Hexagon Cover Plate (Honey Bee Stamps); gold gems.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

“To practice any art, no matter how well or how badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. So do it.” – Kurt Vonnegut

Nance

Relax & Enjoy

 Happy Weekend!

Wow, three posts in one week(so far)! That's a bit of a record for me lately.  Guess when you're enjoying solitude on a river bank and it rains/storms each afternoon, what are you going to do but be creative and listen to music or audiobooks? The rain hasn't really bothered me.  It's hot and muggy outside and the mosquitoes are HORRENDOUS so that's why I mobilized my craft room. LOL

For Following Challenges:

Card Supplies: 

Stamps: Sentiment - Under the Sea (Waffle Flower).

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock

Ink: Midnight, Samba, Tiki Torch, Melon Ice, Grass Skirt, Blue Raspberry, Something Borrowed, Dress Blues (CP Inks)

Extras: Turtle die-Underwater Marine Life (Spellbinders); Coral - Dive Into Happiness(Spellbinders); Oval die cute to make stencil (CP Designs).

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

“To practice any art, no matter how well or how badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. So do it.” – Kurt Vonnegut

Nance

Quilted Hugs

Happy Friday!

It's nice and sunny here at my "river retreat"!  

I've been a happy busy crafter today and with sunshine it's doubly nice. 

Squeaking in for the Inkspirational Challenge.  It's a mood board of pinks/oranges/yellow-orange, not a favorite combo of mine so I let it challenge me.  I used some Waffle Flower products from a couple releases back that I hadn't gotten to play with yet.  The cross-stitch frame I ink blended light pink at first, didn't like it so ink blended the darker pink, still wasn't sold, so on the bottom half I ink blended orange and the combo of the pink and orange kind of grew on me.  Happy accident maybe? LOL. The cat die has coordinating stencils and the background was a stencil.  I thoroughly enjoyed the process of this entire card with all the stenciling and ink blending. I have been finding stenciling/ink blending to be very satisfying and therapeutic at the same time lately. 

For Following Challenges:

Card Supplies: 

Stamps: Sentiment - Quilted Sentiments (Waffle Flower).

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock

Ink: Cotton Candy, Be Mine, Tiara, Orange Twist, Tutti Frutti, Pebble, Twilight (CP Inks)

Extras: Quilted Floral Stencil (WF); Quilted Frames die (WF); Fabric Lover die & stencil (WF); Tiny Square Texture Die (WF); Oval die (CP Designs).

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

“To practice any art, no matter how well or how badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. So do it.” – Kurt Vonnegut

Nance

 

Blooming Thank You

 Hello!

It seems my hiatuses from crafting keep happening. I am hoping the next couple weeks remedies that, beginning today. I've taken a self-imposed solo trip for much some needed rest and recharging for the next two weeks.  I've never taken a solo trip ever, but after the past four or so months in my personal life, I decided some ME time was desperately needed. I chose not too far from home but I am a tad remote, 15 miles from the nearest store and civilization, but I have a wonderful comfy little Airbnb tucked amidst trees on three sides and the river with a gorgeous panoramic view of it on the fourth side. All I hear is the river and sounds of nature.  Definitely soothing the soul. The hubs came with me for a few days and will come back at the end for a few days. AND, of course, I brought some crafting with me - - more like half my craft room!  LOL  

And so let me show you the first fruits (or flowers) of my solitude crafty retreat so far:

For Following Challenges:

Card Supplies: 

Stamps: Sentiment - Simply Said Stamp Set (Waffle Flower).

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock

Ink: Rockin' Red, Catching Rays, Martini, Queen For A Day (CP Inks)

Extras: Colorful Expression Bloom die set (Spellbinders); EF - Enchanting Vines (Altenew).

Thought I'd share my river view with you:

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

“To practice any art, no matter how well or how badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. So do it.” – Kurt Vonnegut

Nance

Thanks For Being There

Hello there!

Happy Wednesday!

I took another break, unwillingly for a couple weeks.  Side effect of helping care for my mother and cleaning out her house after she passed - tendonitis in my right hand, my dominant hand.  So had to get a shot and  hopefully it gets rid of it. I'm just thankful I have no arthritis or anything else concerning.  

So I had to rest it some before I tried to craft again. I spent Monday at Bonnie's for a craft day, desperately needed.  We had a lot of fun catching up and sharing goodies and crafting.  I played with a couple of her stencils, including this beautiful one by Papertrey Ink, Sunflower Garden.  

I used Distress Inks for everything but my word die, which I used brown cardstock. I decided to ink up one of my geometric stencils when I got home to pair with it.  I used the basketweave stencil by My Favorite Things.  I did it twice and put one panel behind the sunflower panel and cut down the other one for a strip on the front behind my sentiment die.  Added another sentiment on some colored cardstock and was done. Both sentiments are by Catherine Pooler.

I'm slipping it in to the Stencil challenge at Just Us Girls before it ends today.

For Following Challenges:

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." 

- Maya Angelou 

Nance

Meowy & Bright

 Hello there! 

Happy Monday!

I got another card made this weekend.  This one is a Christmas card.   I had the cat die all cut and put together and sitting in my UFO stash since last fall.  So I pulled him out, added the gift, hat, sentiment and the background and DONE!  

For Following Challenges:

Krafty Chicks Challenge - Christmas

Card Supplies: 

Stamps: Sentiment -  Critter Christmas (Waffle Flower).

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock; Teal, pink, grey, bright green  cardstock (Stash); Patterned paper (Catherine Pooler).

Ink: Samba (CP Inks).

Extras: Cat, Christmas Accessories, Gift dies (Waffle Flower); Dashed Snowflake cover plate (Waffle Flower).

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." 

- Maya Angelou 

Nance

BeYOUtiful T-Shirt

 

Hello there!

Happy Sunday!

It's been two months since I was here and since I was in my craft room and crafted.  We had to go out of town unexpectedly in early June and wound up being gone for three weeks, as my mother became ill and then passed away.

I've been home for two weeks now and still not really back in my routine and a To Do List much longer than it was in early June.  I've managed to unpack our suitcases, do laundry, cook a couple times, took a short trip to Richmond this week to return our granddog and even straighten up my craft room. So last night, I finally sat down and actually crafted a little. 

So here is the result:

I had seen this cute die set from The Stamp Market, T-Shirt die.  All it is is the collar and some cute little extras like the hearts, a star, a flower, etc.  I figured that would make for a quick and easy card and it did for the most part.  My biggest decision was what patterned paper (Catherine Pooler) to use for the shirt.  The sentiment die is by Ellen Hutson. I used Samba ink from Catherine Pooler for the color and and the top layer of the sentiment.

I made this for the Color Hues Challenge, which ends tomorrow morning at 9am. 

For Following Challenges:

My beautiful, independent, selfless 91 year old mother had been having some health issues for a couple months and took a turn for the worse.  She was hospitalized June 7th and it was evident within a couple days that we would be taking her to her home in Conway, SC under Hospice care.  I went down on the 10th. My two brothers and I and our spouses spent the next week at her home with her, caring for her round the clock along with Hospice until she passed on June 19.  She passed peacefully and without pain, for which we were very thankful.  Dave and I then spent four days packing up her house to transport furniture and such to our home in NC and my brother in WV.  The funeral was planned for the following weekend so it made sense for us to stay and help pack up things.  She did not want her home to sit long and for all of us to be burdened with it. That was my mom - clear up to her last breath practically, thinking to make things easier for the rest of us first. We were home for 36 hours before turning around and going to WV with a Uhaul and for her funeral the following weekend.  And if that wasn't enough, my mother requested literally the day before she passed for my brothers and I to conduct her entire funeral service including doing the eulogy.  I don't know how we did it, but we did, along with our uncle, her brother.  All in all it was a very blurred, stressful, whirlwind three weeks physically and emotionally for all of us.  I miss her dearly already but after the last four months she had, I am thankful she is not suffering anymore.

🩷Edith Marlene Harrah 🩷

January 31, 1934 - June 19, 2025 

                   

 Thank you for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." 

- Maya Angelou 

Nance

Jarring Congratulations

 Hello!

It's been 19 days since I was here.  Not totally intentional.  Too many other things taking up too much time.  I did get a day of crafting with Bonnie two weeks ago. Unfortunately, I didn't unpack my craft bag until three days ago. I also finally found time on Monday to make a card.  My goal was to squeeze into the Freshly Made Sketch but I didn't make it.  Last month my youngest took a solo trip to the Catskills for a week to write. I'm thinking I need a solo crafting trip.  What a week that would be! A girl can dream! hahahaha

I did at least get to play with some new products I bought from Honey Bee Stamps.  I fell inlove with their newest release, Cottage Countryside, so I had to do some shopping.  These ginger jar dies with coordinating stencils I just love. I color coordinated them to go with the pattern papered background. 

I used Catherine Pooler inks and did ink to paper for the jars and the oval frame die behind them.  The patterned paper was part of a freebie pack I got in my Honey Bee order. So very pretty! I put everything on an ivy cardbase to coordinate with the ivory/cream in the background paper. I love the finished card. I decided to add a "congratulations" sentiment to use as a wedding card for a wedding we are attending in a couple weeks.

For Following Challenges:

All Those Pretty Papers Challenge - May - Floral Option

Card Supplies: 

Stamps: Sentiment - Simply Said Stamp Set (Waffle Flower).

Paper: Neenah Ivory 110lb cardstock

Ink: Tranquil, Cove Blue, Polished, Terracotta (CP Inks)

Extras: Ginger Jars Dies, Ginger Jars Stencils, Antique Layering Frame die (Honey Bee Stamps); Label die for sentiment (CP Designs).

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.” 

~ Georgia O’Keeffe

Nance

Color Hues #109 Guest Designer - Bring Me Joy

Good Morning 

and 

Happy May!

Today is a good day as I am the Guest Designer at The Color Hues Challenge! So thrilled to be guesting again.  You can see the card that got me a guestie spot here. 

I had several ideas in my head for this color combo - beachy, floral, poolside, but I finally went with this cat in a basket of flowers.

I love this sweet cat die from Waffle Flower and I just thought a bright yellow cat sitting in a basket of blue flowers was perfect. Then, I decided to add a little bluebird friend as well.  I kept my background pretty simple.  I already had the blue watercolor panel of the same blue as the flowers so i die cut it from a scallop frame die.  The flower blooms are some of my only stand alone flower dies and they are by Lil Inker Designs.  They are no longer in business and I miss them. So I hope you enjoy my little feline.  

I hope you will play along in the challenge this fortnight.  Be sure and check out the Design Team's wonderful creations on the Color Hues blog. It's been one of my favorite challenges to play in as they come up with some great color combos. 

 

Card Supplies: 

Stamps: Sentiment - Where Flowers Bloom (MFT Stamps)

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock; Kraft cardstock (Lawn Fawn); Watercolor paper (Stratford).

Ink: Icing on the Cake; Chiffon, Oh Boy (CP Inks)

Extras: Cat Die - Be A Cat (Waffle Flower); Flower dies (Lil Inker Designs); Tag center die - Stash; Basket die (Impression Obsession); Bird die - Snowman and Friends Die (Waffle Flower).

Our own Annabella celebrated her 8th birthday this week so it's fitting I made a cat card.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.” 

~ Georgia O’Keeffe

Nance

 

Pastel Festivities

 Happy Monday!

It's a nice cool day today.  Hope your day is going fine.  I got a little crafting done over the weekend just in time for the end of the current Color Hues Challenge.  Had ambitions for other challenges, but life is not slowing down right now.

I love this color combo and I had so many ideas for it.  In the end I chose this beautiful Chinese lantern die by Catherine Pooler.  I paired it with the background stamp also by Catherine.  And of course the ink is Catherine Pooler also.  I love how it came together and very quickly also, which is sometimes I feat for me!

For Following Challenges:

Card Supplies: 

Stamps: Background - Fan Dance and Sentiment - Lantern Festival (CP Designs)

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock

Ink:Midnight, Cummerbund, Sweet Sixteen(CP Inks)

Extras: Paper Lantern Die and Sequins (CP Designs) 

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” 

– Pablo Picasso

Nance

Holiday Greetings

 Hello, it's FRIYAY!

It may be April, but I have a Christmas card to share.  It's been five months, almost to the day, since I made and shared a Christmas card - Nov. 26, 2024.  Hopefully I can maybe let this be the beginning of me making at least a couple Christmas cards each month the rest of this year.

I used the Holiday Street Betterpress Plate and coordinating stencil set by Pinkfresh Studio to create my card.  I also used the Holiday Greetings Sentiments Betterpress plate as well.  Before I stenciled, I pressed another copy of the stamp and then fussy cut it so I could create my "northern lights" effect around the top. I wanted a very soft, festive looking neighborhood so I used pinks and soft greens and blues.  I'm very happy with how this turned out.  

For Following Challenges:

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge 

Card Supplies: 

Stamps: Holiday Street Betterpress; Sentiment - Holiday Greeting Betterpress  (Pinkfresh)

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock

Ink:Midnight, Minted, Cotton Candy, It's a Girl, Be Mine, Pucker Up, Oh Boy, All That Jazz, Limoncello(CP Inks)

Extras: Holiday Greetings die (Pinkfresh); Gold gems.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” 

– Pablo Picasso

Nance

Colorful Canoes

One more quick post today....

This one is for the Inspired By Challenge.  This one is a one layer full of color and punny.  LOL

For Following Challenges:

Inspired By Challenge #332

Card Supplies: 

Stamps: Canoe stamp and sentiment - Oarsome Dad (CP Designs)

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock

Ink:Midnight, Something Borrowed, Oh Boy, Blue Raspberry, Limoncello, Tiara, Orange Twist, Bellini(CP Inks)

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” 

– Pablo Picasso

Nance

Ears To You

Hello there, Wednesday!

I cannot believe I had another small sabbatical from crafting last week.  It most certainly wasn't planned, but you know ---- life. I finally got in my craft room this afternoon and miraculously made two cards!

The first one is for the challenge at JUGS. 

The inspiration photo was too good to pass up and I took my inspiration from the cake slice.  It is similar to a jello pie I made this weekend for our Easter dinner. So I went with that.  Had to add the little sprinkles on the top layer for added interest and texture. The pie, btw, really really good.  Tasted like summer - light and refreshing!

For Following Challenges:

Card Supplies: 

Stamps: Bunny - Hops & Peeps(CP Designs); Sentiment (EH)

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock

Ink: Chiffon, It's a Girl, In The Park, Midnight (CP Inks)

Extras: Chevron EF (The Paper Place); Banner die (Reverse Confetti); Scallop die - Dashes & Ruffles (CP Designs), Clay dots (Pretty Pink Posh I think).

The last few weeks have been crazy chaotic and hectic with the Hubs' surgery/recovery (he also got a stomach bug last week) but we had something exciting and happy happen as well....

Our youngest, Ben, proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Molly, at the beginning of their two week vacation to New Zealand!  YAY!  WOOHOO!  She had no idea it was happening. However, both families and their close friends knew, as Ben had arranged a few days before they left for all of us to make congratulatory videos he could show her afterwards.  And what a place to get engaged!  He arranged a private helicopter ride over Auckland to a cliffside overlooking the ocean before a celebratory dinner at a nearby vineyard on Waiheke Island.  Thanks to the helicopter pilot for the pics!

               

And of course, since we were dogsitting, we had to make sure their dog, Jack, got in on the celebratory videos and pics for them as well...

So, I just had to share our happy news here!

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” 

– Pablo Picasso

Nance