To Vellum or Not To Vellum...that is the question.

FWF my sporadic entries:

Ok and we are back.  School is back in session, my oldest is off at college and my guest have left.  My house still remains a complete disaster but I just had to do something creative with paper because otherwise I would have not excuse to buy anymore stuff.  This week I wanted to try to do something with vellum.  I have seen so lovely card on Unity Stamps Blog and on the Unity Show and Tell on Facebook using vellum.  I made the first card, than decided to take the vellum off as it did not seem bright enough for me.   Than I made a second with it on.  I really had fun using spray mist and the back ground stamp.  A little messy but I think it was worth it. You be the judge.

Supplies:
Unity Stamp Company: Love {in the background}, KOM 8/14,
Paper: Studio Calico 
Misting ink: Huey Misting spray
embellishments: random in stash and MME enamel dots
Twine: American Crafts
Ink: Memento 
Vellum: Paper Studio

Also the stamp sentiment is straight it is just that I have been drinking wine all day and can not take a decent picture...only joking...or am I?


Thanks for looking.  Have a great weekend.

LBAB

Summer and paper crafting...do not go together for me.

FWF:
After a month and a half of going AWOL I am back to with what...another sympathy card?  Not the best choice for a come back to say the least. My summer like many has been busy busy busy.  We have been to gymnastics practice (daily-apparently doing flips on a 4 inch beam requires a lot of practice), soccer game, of course baseball games, and had a big wedding in Kansas City that my girls were in and looked adorable.  I am going to do a page on them being in the wedding later.  Plus we have tried to make it to our little cabin a few times.  It has left me very little time to make cards or layouts. Summer is short in MN.  We have long cold winter to cuddle up at home and create.  So we Minnesotans try to get everything from summer we can.

 Today my card has all the things that make me think of my home state of North Dakota growing up on a farm in the summer.  There is twine that is almost the exact color of the twine on the hay bales we would have to haul every summer.  How many of you out there had to load hay bale on to a hay cart and use a bale elevator to put them up in your hay loft?  Generally my Mom who was the hay bale queen chose days that were at least 90 degrees to work in.  There was a strange pride when you had a huge high solid stack that you would pull home and no bales fell off.  I think most of those small bales have been replaced now with big round bales.  The saying goes you have to make hay when the sunshines I guess that is the same for haling them in while the sunshines too.  When I was growing up there were fields and fields of sunflowers, what a site, the gorgeous acres of yellow sunflower heads soaking up the suns glare. They still are one of my favorite flowers.  I love this stamp for this very reason. 

 So I find it fitting that I made these cards to send to my friends and family back in North Dakota when they have lost a loved one.  Many of those old farmers and farm wives who shaped my life and my cultural upbringing are leaving this earth.  Some of those farmsteads they lived on are now only recognized by the trees left standing and perhaps a collapsing barn however many are third generation farms still operating.  They are going full speed ahead with tractors and seeders that can cover more ground in a day than my Dad ever dream of during his farming years.  It a great reminded that life goes on and to treasure the memories.   

So here is my card.  I tried water color painting for the first time.  I am not sure if I will continue.  I need to try a better quality of water color paints and maybe watch some You tube videos for pointers.  Well, if you follow my blog or know me, you know instructions are not my strong point.  I prefer the trial and swearing technique myself.

    

Supplies:

patterned paper:  Studio Calico

Kraft paper: Recollections

Stamps:Unity Stamp Burlap, Hello Gorgeous, Heartfelt Sentiments

Twine: Tim Holtz

Water Color Paints: Mister Heuy

Water Color paper

Have a great weekend every one.  It is good to be back. We are off to lake.  Because you have to get to the lake...when the sunshines.

LBAB

Under the Weather

FWF
I have a friend named Paula that makes multiple cards at a time.  I have always admired this.  I toil over a card for hours.  I get the Stamp of the Week from Unity Stamp Company.  This week stamp is the cute Lil Peep Under the Weather.  I feel like I was channeling Paula because I started making cards with this cute little stamp and I came up with multiple themes. Get well, congratulations, miss you ect.  I even combined it with my all time favorite stamp My Panda Balloon, it is Unity's {kinda}.small stamp.  This is the one I am sharing for Friends with Flare.

This one I used my favorite ribbon on from 3girl Jam.  It is funny how a little ribbon gives it that wow factor.

This is the graduation card I made I just sentiment from KOM 2013 Totally and Utterly Amazing.  I have used a ton of stamps from this kit this past month for graduations and birthdays.

Here is the same lil peep stamp with a thank you sentiment, with a little embossing and a little bling.

It is a beautiful Friday.  It was named one of the top 10 in MN today.  I enjoyed a Mojito with one of my friends at one of our favorite cafes for lunch in their outdoor seating area. The food was yummy, the weather was perfect and the company was amazing. I hope you are finding something great to do this weekend.

LB

National Donut Day

FWF:
I found this paper at a local discount store.  It is rather tacky but I thought it would be fun paper with the Unity Stamp Company's Donut Be Sad Stamp.  My husband and son love donuts, my girls think they like donut but they just like the pretty frosting and sprinkles.   Usually they lick it off and leave the actual donut.  Now Bismarck's that is another story.  But if you want to get Bismarcks in our neighborhood you have to get to SA or Lund's pretty early.  I made this card for my husband.  It was his birthday and I put a gift card in it so he could get some of his much loved donuts. It was kind of confusing for him as usually I am telling him to stay AWAY from the donuts. I want him to shed some pounds(I say is lovingly of course). I bet none of you have never done that to your SO or spouse.  But on Birthdays and National Donut Days they have Zero calories-do not quote me on that. So Happy National Donut Day to all.  Enjoy a donut.

Supplies:

Paper: From my collection no brand on it

Stamp: Unity stamp Company

Markers: Copic

Mist: Pink Ballon Midway Collection Sprinklers October Afternoon

ink: Ranger Distress ink Walnut

heart Sequence: KI Playlist collection

Cardstock: Bazzill

Have a great weekend.  I am off to the lake.  Wohoo this is MN after all.

LB

Don't go Stressing me out.

Today for my monthly Challenge entry at Unity Stamp Company I went back to my roots.  I started making card only as a means to use up paper scraps from pages I made or from others.  I did it when I would get together for a weekend crop, I like to visit and my friend is a scrapping machine.  So as I was visiting and she was making pages like a mad woman I would collect her larger pieces.  Did I mention she is ultra organized and would never keep scraps, nor is she interested in making cards.  It made me happy for some reason to create something from what otherwise would have thrown away.  Plus I found it relaxing and cards could be made quicker so it was instant gratification.  It made me feel like I was accomplishing something as I always feel a little guilty leaving my 3 kids and it helped justify the weekend.

Some where along the way I became obsessed with Unity Stamps.  I started doing {show& tell} and Friend with Flair.  It is a good obsession but today as I was trying to figure out how to water color paint I found myself stressed out.  I am not artistic at all. I can barely drawn a decent stick figure. This is not why I started making cards.  So I dug out my hopper of paper scraps and made a shower card for our niece. It has the colors from the Challenge. It has minimal stamping on it.  I used Heartfelt Sentiments.  I love the way it turned out. Now I am relaxed and I have my card ready for the shower next weekend.  Yeah ME!

Supplies

Sentiment: Heartfelt Sentiments

Paper: Wester Pages 

embellishment heart: Webster pages

pearls: Recollections

Cardstock: Bazzill

ink: Ranger Distress Ink walnut stain

ribbon: American Crafts

staple: Ranger mini

Unity Stamp Company Challenge

Is that really my son walking across the stage?

FWF:
What a crazy month it has been.  I feel like now I can start breathing again.  Last week our oldest walked across the alter at the Basilica of St. Mary's to receive his high school diploma.  I am not one for traditions but it is really cool that this was the 99th year that Delasalle High School held their graduation at this beautiful place.  Truthfully, I know this is crazy, but it was a grand finish and took a little sting off the paying of private school tuition for 4 years.  No dinners or partying afterwards, the grads boarded a bus for an all night locked in party put on by the parents.  Which is awesome because it has been nothing but a series of late night/early morning arrivals since their final day a few days before.  At least I was able to get a good night sleep for one night.

Graduation is a busy time.  There were baseball games which seemed like there was one every night because of our late spring, end of the year programs, and preparing for the "dun dun dun"-Graduation Open House.  The next graduation, in 7 years, I am going to hire a caterer and have it at a hall or something.  N really wanted it at our house in our back yard.  We have a small house and OK size yard and a lot of friends and relatives. No one told me a grad open house had the stress of a wedding in that you do not have the chance to visit with people but only say hi and many of them driving hours to get there.  Plus add the stress of being a scrapper and a gardener.  The pressure you place on yourself to get those books done and flowers up to speed is insane.  Good thing, I have the greatest friends and family in the world who totally made it all happen. That is right I DO HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS and family in the world, no matter if you think you do too.  As I say "enough about me, what about me". 

 It really was a great day and hopefully a good memory for our son.  But when you have a Graduation Open House, expect kids, lots and lots of kids. We had kids playing basketball in the alley, bean bag toss in the yard, in our living room, on the front steps only a few actually lingered into the adult area under the tent on our patio.  They do not want you to talk to them, they just what a place to be and food to eat and they are fine.  But with having a graduate you have tons of other kids open houses to attend.  This means you need cards.  My FWF card is my first prototype for the guys, I have some fun ideas for the girls to make with the awesome lil peep grab bag and the 5/13 KOM from Unity Stamp Company.  Maybe I will share them next week. 

Supplies:

Paper: Simple Stories 6x6

Copic Markers: Y15 Y11 YR 4

Twine: Jelli Bean Soup

Bling Embellishment: Recollections

ink: Momento

Glossy Accents: Inkssentials

Stamps: lil peep father (it's on sale), KOM May 2013

Thanks for looking.  I would love for you to leave a comment.  It makes my day.

LB

3 Girl JAM Guest Designer blog candy Winner

Hi,
Over the weekend I had the opportunity to be the Guest Designer for 3 Girl JAM. If you have never checked them out you should.  But be careful their ribbon is addicting.  Here are some cards I created for Unity Stamp Challenges using their ribbon.  

Speaking of their ribbon, we have a winner of my blog candy.  

NW Flamingo

Please contact me: lbcomet@gmail.com 

I need your name and address.  Thanks everyone for checking out my blog.