RAKs and PPA bling

Looking for the Pansy Cart Tutorial? Click HERE.

Has anyone besides me ever noticed that children sleep badly when one of the parents is away? At least mine usually do. I find when I'm single parenting, either my toddler has nightmares, wets the bed, wakes up ridiculously early, or naps badly (or some combination of all four). And the baby usually decides it is a great time to start getting up four-five times per night. So when my husband left yesterday morning for a quick overnight business trip, it was with fear and trembling that I bid him good bye. True to form, the toddler took a lousy nap and the baby was fussy all day, but then miraculously, by 8:00, all was quiet. And stayed quiet. The toddler went to bed on time at 7:00 and went to sleep right away. The baby fussed and nursed a bit until 8:00 and then he went to bed, and I didn't hear a peep out of either of them until this morning! I even had to wake the baby up at 7:30 to nurse because I was fit to burst! The toddler slept until almost 9:00! Thank God for small mercies, is what I say.


I'm on a few different listservs for stamping-related matters, and in the last week a few stampers have requested RAKs (Random Act of Kindess) cards for friends in distress or recovering from surgery. I'm always happy to contribute to these requests because I think it is fun to receive cards from random people when you are in a bad way, and also because I think very few people respond to these requests, so it is nice for the asker when someone does. Not that I'm strumming my own guitar or anything. I only mention it as the reason I made these two cards last night. As I was finishing them, I thought they needed a little bling-bling, and then remembered the PPA challenge for this week was to add bling to a card. Perfect! I pulled out my brand-spanking new Rhinestones and a bit of bling here, a bit of bling there and voila, the cards were complete! And sparkly!

I also consider this first one to be a limited supply challenge. I really wanted to use the color combo of River Rock, Marina Mist and Cherry Cobbler, but had exactly one tiny scrap of Marina Mist that measured 3" by 1 1/4". I used the ink on the medallion, but decided that wasn't enough blue, so I got creative with that scrap. I trimmed it lengthwise and overlapped it with a creative faux ribbon treatment on the one end and there you have it! I even remembered to stamp my sentiment on something other than Whisper White for something different!

The second card is a color inspiration from a blog I read that has nothing to do with stamping. A few weeks ago she posted a picture of a quilt she is making and I was instantly in love with the colors--More Mustard, Whisper White and just a pop of Cherry Cobbler. If you visit the link, the photos of the quilt are quite far down in the (longish) post--just scroll down. It's a little hard to see in the photo, but the sentiment (on Whisper White, I know--I just couldn't do it twice in a row) has the En Francais stamp faintly in the background. I wanted just a hint of texture there and using the background stamped off once was perfect. The only thing I wish I had done differently was to sponge the edges of the Whisper White panel with More Mustard. Oh well.

Toddler Obsessions

Toddler obsessions are strange creatures. My son goes through phases of being obsessed with this thing or that thing, and then after a period of extreme intensity, he's done with it. His latest obsession is with naptime and bedtime. He wants me to put him to bed for naps (instead of his babysitter), and his papa to put him to bed at night. Usually we don't deviate from this, but sometimes it doesn't work out, and then it is hard for him to understand the change. He begins his days by asking, "Mama put you to bed?" [for the afternoon nap], asks at regular intervals all morning, lists all the things that he has to have done before he can go to sleep (turn on the noise machine, close the curtains, turn on the nightlight, clip the paci, hold Mr. Floppy and the green blanket, snuggle with Raggedy Andy, cover up with the quilt...you get the idea). When I get him up from his naps, the first words out of his mouth are usually, "Papa put you to bed?" And thus it begins all over again until bed time. Tied to this latest obsession is a somewhat unhealthy interest in pajamas. Until now he has cared very little what we put on him to sleep. Suddenly it matters and since the footie pajamas from his cousin don't fit, the red pajama pants are the only thing that will do lately. I indulge him in this particular obsession because it seems fairly harmless to me. It *is* annoying to have to discuss it endlessly every day, but on the other hand, it seems to comfort him, and since he is a child who is difficult to comfort, I'll take what I can get.

Today's card is inspired by an architectural interest piece that I saw in a Hyatt Place that we stayed at recently. (I should add that we got the room at a bargain through hotwire.com). Our room had this interesting dividing wall that separated the "living room" from the "bedroom" and I immediately thought that the colors and textures were begging to be made into a card. You can see a photograph by clicking HERE.

So my card is based on that wall. I thought the window panes (which are textured like linen when you see them up close) were the color of River Rock, and that deep brown wood was like Early Espresso, with Very Vanilla on the walls. I started with my new Day of Gratitude stamp set, plus my Sanded background stamp and set to work on a window card! I love the clean Oriental simplicity of this card. I already mailed it as part of a mail swap of which I am a part.

Supplies:
Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, River Rock cs
Afterthoughts, Day of Gratitude, Sanded stamps
River rock, Versamark, Early Espresso inks
Square punches, bone folder for score lines
post it notes for masking
dimensionals
paper snips

Pansy Cart Tutorial

My first tutorial by popular request! Please click on the paypal button below to purchase. Once I receive payment from you, I will e-mail you the pdf, which is 27 pages long and includes over 80 full-color photographs. Please be sure to include your e-mail address when you check out.

$5

Tutorial is coming!

The post title pretty much says it all! I don't have a picture today, but wanted to let all of you know that I'm working on a tutorial for the pansy cart and hope to get it posted early next week. I think I'm going to have to ask a little bit for it (maybe $5?) because of the amount of time it took to make another cart and photograph the whole process, plus writing up the tutorial.

Also, in case you missed it on the previous post, I'm going to be offering finished Christmas card sets, as well as Christmas card kits, so stay tuned for that as well. I'm hoping to get the samples made and photographed this week and posted next week some time.

Nighty-night!

Daybook

A friend of mine does this periodically on her blog, and I thought I'd give it a whirl today. I promise there is a card at the bottom. Here's a sneak peak just to reassure you.

Outside my window…

Today was a lovely fall day--a hint of chill in the air, fall colors on the trees, bright sunshine and the crisp smell of coming rain. At the moment, however, it is dark and quiet.
I am thankful…
for our wonderful babysitter, who is unflappable in the face of toddler whims, potty accidents, baby spit up, and everything else.
I am hoping and praying…
that cooler weather is finally here to stay (and eager for winter weather!)

that I have enough time to get all my work done and get dinner on the table

that my children grow up to be polite, productive adults who are active in the life of the Church.
From the kitchen…
I'm still keeping on with Weight Watchers and am trying to stay motivated. My mantra these days is that nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. Some days I even believe it.
Towards rhythm and beauty…
I've got a better rhythm of meal planning (although I know it could still use some work) but will be glad when the day comes that my overall housekeeping has a better rhythm. I was doing well in the second trimester with Boo--I was on a laundry and cleaning schedule, in addition to regular weekly meal plans. Since his birth, however, I'm just keeping up with the meals and doing laundry as needed rather than on a particular day. Cleaning, well, I have some help. :)
I am reading…
Blindman's Bluff, by Faye Kellerman, the latest in the Decker/Lazarus mysteries
The Unwanted Sound of Everything We Want: A Book about Noise, by Garret Keizer
One Day by David Nichols (actually, I just finished it, just in time for my book club on Wednesday!)
I am pondering…
C.S. Lewis' thoughts on prayer
My own failures as a parent
I’m creating…
Wedding invitations and birth announcements! Plus a few cards here and there. And gearing up for Christmas cards. Stay tuned for an announcement on how to order yours from me.
I am listening to…
At the moment, nothing. But on my ipod, I'm listening to a mix I've dubbed "coffee shop", which includes Kate Rusby, Sia, Bat for Lashes, Bon Iver and St Vincent, Allison Krauss, Sting, Anya Marina, Iron and Wine, Joshua Radin, Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Elton John, just to name a few.
On keeping home…
See on keeping rhythm. I'm working on it. My house is clean, my dishes are washed, my family is fed, and my laundry is done, but I can't take credit for the clean house. At least I keep it neat and swept myself. Oh, and my bed is made every day.
Around the house…
I've done a lot of canning in the last two years, and this year, I decided I just couldn't do it. We were traveling almost nonstop during the first half of August, and then the last half, when I would normally be canning tomato products, hubby had a big work deadline and I just didn't have enough time with him working 16 hours a day and Boo nursing almost non stop. I feel guilty about it, but I have enough left from last summer to get us through part of the winter anyway. I did make freezer jam at least. I had hoped to make applesauce again this year, but that is going on the list of Things I Could Not Manage With a Nursing Newborn and Needy Toddler.
In the garden…
Um, well, we don't have a garden. We had aspirations at one time of using the community garden, but frankly, I don't have a desire to dig in the dirt when it is 100 degrees outside and I have two little children clinging to my skirts.
This week in the Church…
Nothing special this week, but next week (31st) hubby is being tonsured a reader by the bishop.
A few plans for the rest of the week…
I'm working on a custom order for a baby brag book and going to the gym. I didn't go today because I had to run errands while I had a babysitter and the errands took me all morning. I feel terribly guilty about it. But I have more energy than I have had in the last 3 weeks, so there's something to be said about missing a day at the gym.
Piglet this week…
Yes, we've resorted to bribery on the potty training front. Given the inducement of M&Ms, he went twice on the potty this morning for the sitter. (Yay for that!) We won't talk about the #2 accident he had at the playground in between.
Piglet is such a character--he loves all things related to church and is obsessed with prayer books. He likes to carry them around and chant at the top of his lungs. He likes books of all kinds and is especially into coffee table books at the moment. I have a big album of postcards from my and hubby's various travels and he loves flipping through it and looking at all the churches. The running commentary is hilarious ("blue church! people open the gates! people close the gates! gospel book! icon of Christ! icon of tokos!").
Boo this week…
Boo is one long string bean. He is 5 1/2 months old and wearing clothes that Piglet wore at 10 months! He is extremely social and loves to be around people. He is a smiley happy baby, and as long as he can see someone, fairly content. He has started to grab at toys and likes to exercise his vocal cords by "talking" fairly loudly for a stretch every afternoon. He is a good night time sleeper, but a lousy day sleeper. He prefers to sleep on his belly and has been known to flip over in the car seat for sleep if not properly strapped in!
A picture to share…

Okay, I have to toot my own horn on this card. I made it by request for my dear friend Elena, who wants to send it to her mother. She just asked for a "flower pot card" after seeing something my mom had sent me. I have been eying the butterfly punch pansies for some time and wanted to give them a try. I saw this set of note cards at the post office that featured pansies flowing out of a wicker wheelbarrow and decided to try and recreate it. I'm so pleased with the result!
This is how the card opens--you pull out the top layer of pansies to reveal the card inside.


I'm considering making a tutorial out of this one, but only if there is enough interest. So let me know, okay?
Supplies:
Sahara Sand, Whisper White cs
Elegant Eggplant, Rich Razzleberry, Pale Plum, Almost Amythest, Daffodil Delight, Sahara Sand inks
Sponges
5/8" Old Olive grosgrain ribbon
Gold brads
Paper piercing tool
Butterfly punch
Basic black marker
dimensionals
Circles #2 die
jumbo brad (white)
glue

Parenting

Parenting is a humbling experience. Not only do you see all the flaws in yourself (and your spouse) replicated in your children, you also get your worst moments parroted back at you. Piglet has started to repeat my scoldings in the exact same tone of voice. Not to taunt me, but because he likes the sound of his own voice and is trying out new things. But it taunts me a little. I hear how I sound, and what it must sound like to him and I squirm with embarrassment. I never wanted to be that parent.

And yet, my scolding is often to keep him from hurting himself, or causing harm to others, so it does serve a purpose. I just wish it wasn't such a frequent necessity. A priest once told me to reserve my ire for the moments where it was most needed, so that when I really needed the message to get through, it wouldn't be lost in the general atmosphere of constant nagging and scolding. I have a hard time with that one, because I feel often feel like my days are one constant obstacle course of trying to keep my children safe and teach them right from wrong. And it is hard to do that in a soft voice when they frequently develop deafness where discipline is concerned. But I'll keep working on it. There is a priest's wife I know and admire who has a great way with children (she has five of her own) and never seems to raise her voice or get flustered. I realize her children are nearly grown, and that I don't live with her, but I aspire to speak softly (and not carry a big stick).


Today's card is a thank you card for my good friend Rebecca, who sent a lovely book to Piglet for his namesday on the 11th. I wrote the card from him to her, and I hope she likes it! I used the Mojo Monday sketch again, omitting the buttons on the side. I used up some SAB dp from two years ago and another color combo I'm fond of. I made 10 more of these as birthday cards for the Operation Write Home box. I think some little child will be happy to receive these! I borrowed this set from a friend and am having some fun with it!

Supplies:
Whisper White, Sahara Sand, Real Red, Bashful Blue, Delicate Dots dp (retired)
Teddy and Train set
Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi markers
Real Red grosgrain ribbon
scallop edge punch
Top note die

Mojo Monday: Creating in the desert

I've been feeling a bit creatively dry lately. I've got some biggish custom projects on the horizon, (to say nothing of Christmas cards) and I just can't seem to get going on much else right now. It doesn't help that I'm so tired all the time. I shouldn't be--I've been blessed this time with a baby who actually sleeps a good amount at night, and my toddler rarely gets up anymore, but I still end up feeling like I'm sleep-walking through my days lately. I'm hoping it lifts soon because I've got new stamps begging for ink!

I did manage to create a bit last night--I pulled out this week's Mojo Monday sketch and my new favorite color combination (Wild Wasabi, Early Espresso and Marina Mist) and got to work. I decided to ink up Day of Gratitude, which arrived in a big box from the brown boyfriend on Tuesday. I went back and forth a lot before ordering this set and I'm so glad I did! That big medallion has a lot going for it and the smaller images are pretty versatile, as this card shows, I think. I had to move the ribbon down to the bottom because it didn't look right at the top, and I moved the brads a little further to the right from the sketch, but it's just a guide, right? I love this new Afterthoughts hostess set--the big words are great. I just double mounted the smaller sayings on the side of some of them for greater versatility. I made four of these for the Operation Write Home box I'm working on filling.

Okay, I should go take a nap now.

Supplies:

Wild Wasabi, Marina Mist, Early Espresso, Whisper White cs, retired dp
Afterthoughts, Day of Gratitude stamps
Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi, Early Espresso inks
Chocolate chip epoxy brads
grosgrain ribbon (non-SU!)
scallop edge punch

Swaps

The weather is lovely today--I wish I could take more advantage of it, but Boo is having a fussy day and Piglet just went down for his nap, so I guess I'm just going to have to enjoy it through the window. I did get out to the gym and grocery store this morning, so at least I got a little taste. I really have nothing interesting to impart today--I'm so tired from the weekend, I just want to sleep for a week. But a mother's day never ends, right? Speaking of tired, I took this photo last week one day when I went in to wake up Piglet--he likes to "snuggle with Andy" during his nap, and had pulled the doll's legs over his head at some point. I had to chuckle.

One of the things that we do at downline meetings every month is participate in a swap of card fronts. It is a great way to gather ideas, see new products in action and ooh and ahh over gorgeous techniques. I don't always have time to get a swap together (we have to make 12-16 fronts, depending on the size of the meeting), and I always accept pity swaps, but this month I had my act together. I started with a color combination from the Color Coach, dusted off my Choo Choo set, and went to work. And,....not so much. I scrapped it after an hour of fiddling and just not liking the results.

I was stumped then, and sat for a while, trying to figure out where to go from there. The color combo I really wanted to try out (Tempting Turquoise, Rich Razzleberry and Pumpkin Pie) I didn't have enough cardstock to make 12 fronts. In the end, I went back to my Haiku paper, and used the color combo from that--So Saffron, Tangerine Tango, More Mustard, Old Olive and Whisper White. I used the Because I Care hostess set and I'm quite pleased with the result! I had a ton of Tangerine Tango scraps that are 3.5x5.5 from a project that I did two summers ago, and have been trying to whittle away at the stack. I think I'm down to under a dozen, so that is good! I'm really looking forward to our meeting tonight--a chance to get away and stamp some of my stress away. Plus there is usually chocolate involved, so can't go wrong there!

Supplies:
So Saffron, Tangerine Tango, More Mustard, Whisper White cs
Because I Care, Short and Sweet stamp sets
So Saffron, Old Olive, More Mustard, Tangerine Tango inks
Old Olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon
Square lattice embossing folder

Smokin' Pink Hotrod

I know you are probably scratching your head over my post title, but sometimes titles come to me and sometimes, not so much. Today was so busy I've just now had time to write this little post. I spent the morning baking and cooking, partly for a little party we are having for Harry's feast day tomorrow (we are celebrating it early), and partly for dinners next week. I don't always have the foresight to cook ahead for busy days, but I was on my game today. So my whole house is redolent of curry. I will say that while I like the taste, I don't care for the smell. I made a lovely pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting, but the smell of spiced pumpkin was no match for the curry smell of the Turkey Saagwala we are having on Sunday night. (Stephanos asked what I had made and I said Saagwala, and Harry said, "Go to Wawa?" Ha!)

Luckily, the weather was nice today, so I've had the windows open all day to try and air things out. I went and got my patootie kicked by my Pilates trainer (yes boss!) and then I worked on swaps for Monday's Philly Inker's meeting in between nursing and just holding the baby (he was in a mood today).

I made a bunch of these cards with some Haiku dp--I know the color combination is a little unusual, but I think it works. Gotta love that hot pink motorcycle!

Supplies:
Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, whisper white cs, haiku dp (retired)
Motorcycle (retired), tiny teacup stamps
Melon Mambo, Chocolate Chip ink
Melon Mambo grosgrain (retired)
Curly label punch

Rock-N-Roll, baby!

As any woman who has borne children knows, the hardest part of the whole deal (well, besides the sleep deprivation and nursing issues) is the jiggly bits you're left with after the baby is born. That whole line about breastfeeding being a great diet tool is just a load of bollocks designed to keep us at it, if you ask me. I've never lost much while breastfeeding, and I found I got down to my pre-pregnancy size (and a bit less) right about the time I got pregnant again! (6 months after weaning and 18 months after birth...) So I went into my pregnancy with Boo with fear and trembling on the weight front. I gained an incredible amount of weight with Piglet (25 pounds of water, plus all the other weight one gains while pregnant) and I was loathe to be that big again. Things started out well--I gained much more slowly, had much less water retention and generally felt like I was on track to gain a reasonable amount of weight. Until the third trimester, that is, when I started retaining water again, and carrying so low that I could hardly walk. So while I gained less this pregnancy than the last, I still gained more than I wanted to. So I'm left with a bunch of jiggly bits and a nice jelly belly. That I've been trying to work off with a weekly Pilates session. Unsuccessfully.

I decided a few weeks ago that I was going to ramp up my gym sessions, add in another weekly Pilates session (for an abs-killing total of two per week) and after much thought, rejoined Weight Watchers. I had terrible luck on WW my last go-round and wasn't too enthusiastic about it this time, but I thought, well, at least give it a shot. It worked for Jennifer Hudson, right? Plus they had a good 3-month rate going, so I thought it was a good time to start, at least. So I started walking 3 days a week on the treadmill, 3.6 miles per hour, on an incline, for an hour, plus the Pilates sessions, and watching those Points. I spent last week being cranky and tired because I was sore, exhausted and hungry all week. I'm not one of those people who is energized by exercise--it just makes me more tired. But I stayed within my allowed Points for the week and got in a lot of exercise to boot. So when I stepped on the scale on Monday for my weekly weigh-in, my heart sank and my crabby factor rose by 10. No change. I couldn't believe it. I spent a week killing myself and being hungry (because nursing makes you VERY hungry) for this? No change?? I was angry, to say the least. I thought about that dumb scale on and off all day yesterday, and decided to try again this morning, just for kicks and giggles. 2.5 pounds down! Now that is more like it! So while I'm still tired and hungry, at least I have a little more motivation to keep sweating at the gym and watching my Points. We'll see how it goes. Here's hoping the jiggly bits get the message and take a hike. :)

Rock-n-roll is a technique that I've always had trouble with--I either end up missing the edge of the stamp entirely, or I end up covering too much of the stamp so the two-tone effect is lost. I will say, with these cards, however, I think I've got it! Requires a little wrist action is all. The orange slices card is CASED from Heather Van Duken. The other one is all me. I took the layout from a card I saw somewhere else, but changed up the paper, the stamps, and the color scheme to make it mine. Love that Haiku paper! These two cards also represent part of my challenge to myself to use every stamp set I own during this catalog year. I've had that Charming set for a while and haven't really used it much, even though I fell in love with it when I borrowed it from a friend last December. I saw the mums on the Haiku paper and instantly thought of the medallion in that set and decided to ink it up! So, three sets down.

Defacing books: Is Outrage!

Today has been great--the weather finally broke and temps today were in the 60s (finally!), I had lunch with a good friend, got my rear end kicked by my Pilates trainer, and things with the boys went pretty well today. Oh, and I made a ton of cards. I'll show those another day, but I wanted to show a few that I made yesterday. I saw this card from my fellow Philly Inker, Ilina Crouse, a few weeks ago and saved it as a Good Idea, and then decided earlier this week to tweak it for myself. I don't have the Newsprint dsp, so I decided to improvise. Anyone who has been to our house knows we have a LOT of books. (60 boxes worth, the last time we moved). It is inevitable in a dual-academic family that this would happen. Anyway, we have old books, new books, books saved for children when they get older, books for rereading again and again, books for dipping into only occasionally, you get the idea.

So, I thought, well, we have all these books, surely some old book must have an appendix or something that I could tear out and use for a border. So I started stalking our shelves, looking for something with dense text, old typeset, and the right width. I found the first two easily enough, but the last was difficult. So I improvised. At the back of my (very old) edition of Dr. Zhivago is an appendix with Zhivago's poems. I confess, though I'm a Russian/Soviet historian, I've never been able to get into that book. I loved both movie versions, but the book is pretty obtuse. Pasternak might have been a brilliant poet, but his prose is quite dense.

I took a deep breath, asked forgiveness of the book gods, and tore a few pages out of the appendix. I cut them up into strips and assembled them into a longer collage strip that I used on the bottom of my card. I dirtied the whole business up with some basic black ink and that was it! I really love this card, but I think I'll wait for the Newsprint dsp to attempt a series!

I liked the layout so well, I tried a different color scheme and came up with these cards as well! (As a kind of funny aside, I was watching Archangel while making these. It's a thriller starring Daniel Craig and is set in modern Russia).