Be The Star Patriotic Card

Hi stamping friends! Today's card is one made from an old Stampin' Up! set called "Be the Star." I love stars because they work so well on masculine cards, they're great for Christmas and they're always in style. 

Here's my complete supply list for this card:

• Stampin' Up! Be The Star Stamp Set
• SU! Star Dies
• SU! Boho Blue Card Stock & Ink
• SU! Real Red Card Stock
• SU! Night of Navy CArd Stock & Ink
• Doodlebug Enamel Dots
• Stickles Blue Glitter

This one was really fun to make with all the little details on it. I'm hoping to find just the right person to send this to. Hopefully it will even be a 4th of July birthday for a guy. That would be fun!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and may we all "be the stars" that we were meant to be! Hugs!

Enjoying Someone Else's Beauty

My husband looked out our back window and saw our neighbor's Plumeria Tree in full bloom. "Her flowers are really beautiful," he noted. I knew in my heart they were.It's hard to miss it, even from 100 feet away. The pink flowers light up the dull green backyard like a nightlight.

I've been enjoying them for several days, but when he mentioned it, I felt a twinge of jealousy. I had been thinking of planting a Plumeria in our front yard several weeks ago, but the earth is too hard because the tree that was there still has a stump and roots. But after seeing hers, my desire to have one increased. Why should she have the pretty flowers and not me?

It's just a scrawny tree now, but it
will be more beautiful each year.

Then my mind went back to a sermon that I heard years ago. I don't remember most sermons, but this really stuck with me. Our pastor said that we don't have to possess things to enjoy them. It is such a simple truth, but something that I struggle with, especially in the area of horticulture.

At the time, I was living in Pennsylvania and the trees were vastly different than what I grew up with in Florida. The fall colors were spectacular, and I wanted tree one of every autumn shade in my yard. The orange ones were my favorite, and I deeply wished for an oak or maple to make my heart happy. It was all very impractical since we had a standard size lot that already had a good size tree on it.

But after hearing the sermon, my focus changed. I didn't have to own trees in a varitety of vibrant colors to enjoy them. All I needed to do was to drive around town in October!

That nugget of wisdom has stayed with me for all these years, and once again, I'm putting it into practice. My neighbors tree is stunning. She's done a good job caring for it.

And here's the really funny part. She can't see it too well from her house. It's in a corner of the yard that's blocked by a room addition and it's probably visible from just a certain spot in that room. But for me, I see it anytime I'm in my kitchen or dining room. And funnier still in the fact that where I wanted to put a Plumeria in my yard, it wouldn't be visible at all from inside our house.

So I guess my pastor was right. You don't have to possess to enjoy the beauty around you.

Three Quick Patriotic Cards

Right around Memorial Day here in the states, my Red, White & Blue Spirit seems to kick in. And making cards is no exception.

These three cards were super easy using mostly Photo Play's materials. They are just 12 x 12 sheets of scrapbook paper. One one side are 12 different designs (like the states map) and on the other side there are patterns. This makes creating "no stamp" cards super easy. I also like the fact that I can just make one or two cards with the designs and I don't get tired of them.

I still have lots of leftover patriotic paper and I'm ready to create more. And I'm ready for summer. I've got my first watermelon on order from Walmart today. Hoping that will be good. It's not officially summer in my mind until I take my first bite.

Hoping your days are blessed, and thanks so much for stopping by today! 

Two Stamp Sets, One Card

Today’s card is a combination of two different stamp sets. The first one is called Regarding Dahliasby Stampin’ Up! I love this flower stamp so much and have used it a lot, but it doesn’t come with any leaves and I really don’t like how it looks without them. So my second stamp set that I used is called Falling Flowers, also from Stampin’ Up! Although they don’t coordinate perfectly, I still like the look. Plus having the dies on hand was convenient too.

Here’s my complete supply list:

• Stampin’ Up! Berry Burst Card Stock and Ink
• SU! Shaded Sprunce Ink
• SU! Green Patterned Paper
• Very Old Lilac Patterned Paper
• SU! Regarding Dahlia’s Stamp Set
• SU! Falling Flowers Stamp Set
• SU! May Flowers Dies
• Copies RV52 and YG13
• Dollar Tree Enamel Dots 
• Michaels Twine

It was a lot of fun playing with the new Berry Burst Ink and card stock too. I like the color much more than I thought I would. It’s a fun shade that falls somewhere between purple and pink. It’s a nice addition to my stash.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Praising At All Times

As I write this I am heading home from a visit to see my daughter over 1,000 miles away. I won’t see her again for several months at best. The distance between us seems too much and my heart is heavy. I am thankful and have much to praise God for. My loving husband and mother are waiting for me, not to mention my adorable fuzzy “child,” but there is a heaviness that awaits me too. Everyday stresses, daytime loneliness and the realization that 25 years has slipped by way too quickly wait for me as well.

Psalm 34:1 tells us to praise the Lord at all times. But what does that actually mean?

Praise is something thing we say, sing or just think in our heart just because He is God, He is good and He loves us. Even when things don’t feel that way. It’s not something to do only when our hearts are happy and troubles are far. 

So as we go through our lives, during happy times and sad, praising Gods needs to be top on our list, regardless of how we feel, what our circumstances may be, even sitting in a lonely airport terminal.

Sunshine, Flowers and Bicycles iPad Wallpaper

It’s a sunny day in central Wisconsin and I’m blessed to be spending it with my daughter and grand pup, Maggie.

Summer seems different here than in Florida where it’s almost always hot and sunny. It’s more special, because in just a few months it will be cool again. Sweaters and pumpkin spice will take over the town, but for now, it’s sunshine, flowers and bicycles. 

In honor of this sunny and warmer feeling, I created these two iPad or tablet designs. The full frame picture is for the Lock Screen and the empty space picture is for the Home Screen, which leaves plenty of room for icons.

I hope wherever you are the sun is shining and that you’re having a wonderful day! Enjoy!

Here’s how the design looks on my tablet:

Flowers for a 99-Year-Old!

Today's card was made especially for a woman who is turning 99 this month. I chose to use the color challenge over at Retro Rubber for the basis of my card. And I'm entering it over at the NBUS Challenge Blog because this old Stampin' Up! set is one I picked up at a tag sale and haven't used yet.

The set, called Always A Reason dates back to 2017. I like this set because the stamped image isn't solid. It has little dots or open spaces in it, giving the ink a more subtle look, which is what the Retro Rubber colors called for. The same is true with the other Stampin' Up! set I used, which is called Number of Years. That came out in 2018, if not earlier. It's one of my favorites.

Here's my complete supply list:

• Stampin' Up! Always A Reason (2017)
• SU! Number of Years Stamps & Dies (2018)
• Stampin' Up Island Indigo Card Stock
• SU! Peach Pie Ink
• Memento New Sprout Ink
• Memento Teal Zeal Ink
• Memento Angel Pink Ink
• Twine from Michaels
• DSP from Stampin' Up

Inside the sentiment reads "the number of years the world has been a better place because you're in it." Such a sweet thought. I'm hoping she'll like it a lot!

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a blessed day!

Moderntone Platonite Hazel Atlas Glasses

Today hubby and I went thrifting, but it was a little later in the day, and I really didn't expect to find much. The store was packed, but not with a lot of vintage items. I was just getting ready to leave when this set of small fluted glasses caught my eye. There was just something about them.

Look at how the light shines through
these glasses!

I snapped a picture right there in the store and found out they were indeed Hazel Atlas, an old glassmaker. What really surprised me was that there were not only eight of them, but they were all in perfect condition. At $2.00 each I thought about coming back on Monday, when they would be half price, but I'm trying to simplify my life, so I paid the extra money to get them today.

It wasn't until I got home and started researching them that I realized just how special they are. 

First of all, I thought they were milk glass, but it turns out they're actually made from something called Platonite. It's more translucent than milk glass, and apparently that makes it stronger. Platonite was made by Hazel Atlas in the 1930's and 40's, which makes these guys anywhere from 70 to 80 years old. (I'm still amazed at their condition and that there were 8 of them!)

The pattern is where the term Moderntone comes in. That refers to the rimmed rings that go around the glass. This design can also be found in plates, cups and saucers, etc.

What I love about them is how small they are. They hold about 1/2 a cup of liquid and I think they'd be perfect on a table with some sparkling cider. I also thought they would look cute as little parfait cups for dessert.

The coolest thing about these glasses though is the thought of where they came from, and who used them way back in the day. 

The fact that they're white is also important to me because my dishes are white. I love how they go with anything from reds and greens at Christmas to pastels at Easter.

When I researched what they sell for (I need to make sure I got a good buy) the highest price was $25.00 each. Most ran around $15.00 for 2, not including shipping. I'm sure that if I ever get back into reselling vintage that these guys would be some of the first to go. But for now I'm keeping them with hopes of using them real soon.

So if you're out thrifting or yard sale-ing, keep an eye out for old glass pieces like these. They aren't marked at all, but the vintage, in this case art deco design made them stand out. But no matter what the value is of something, if you love it then it's worth it to you!

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful day!

A Neglected Birthday Pup

Hi stamping friends! I just finished making a different birthday card, and before I put away my box of birthday stamps, this fun guy popped out at me. I planned on just stamping him and finishing tomorrow, but I had such a good time coloring that I completed him. He's ready to go in a clear, long envelope.

There are two challenges that I'm entering him in. One is a new challenge called Neglected Stuff Challenge. This guy is definitely neglected. I had him for years and used him once, maybe twice. I think both times were Christmas colors, so now it's fun that he's sporting some spring/summer colors.

The other challenge that he's going to is the I.D.E.A.S. Challenge. This week their theme is I for Ink. He's colored with brown and three other colors that hopefully compliment one another. It's easy to put many colors in his sweater since there are so many sections to it, but I think that keeping it at three gives him more unity.

Another thing I did was to choose the background paper first then match the Copic to it. I always do it the reverse way and often can't find the right paper to match.

My neglected stamp is from Woodware and he's stamped on plain white card stock using Stampin' Up! Early Espresso Ink. The purple paper is from Michaels. The dotted paper is from Cor'dinations by American Crafts.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Colorful Options One Cake Shawl

I’m so excited that Colorful Options Challenge Blog allows not only cards but all kinds of art and crafts.

It’s fun to make a crocheted piece according to their colors. And the wonderful thing is they give you an entire month head start with a sneak peek at the beginning of each month.

This month features the Star Wars colors in the photo to the right. I chose the yarn several weeks ago by eyeballing the colors in the sneak peek badge. I thought I did fairly well but realized that there is some purple in my yarn that isn’t in the picture, but other than that it’s a pretty good match.

This is the second virus shawl that I have ever made. I used to think the people who made virus shells were super crochets. I was more comfortable with going back-and-forth and making a plain pattern. But what I found was that just stitching row after row I would often lose count at the ends, and my work would end up being wider or narrower.

When I finally tried the virus shawl after years of crocheting, I was surprised at how easy it was to keep track of where you are. After the first two rows, The clusters are such that all you have to do is count to ten for the most part. It’s really easy to check your work, and if you do make a mistake, which I did once in here without correcting it, it’s pretty easy to work the mistake in without having to rip it out.

I followed THIS PATTERN on YouTube. It's a great pattern, the only caveat is that they are from Britain and a couple of the terms are different than I'm used to here in the US. She explains it very well though and it's easy to follow along. Then, after searching for the video to link here on my blog, I found that they have an additional EXTRA HELP VIDEO as well. I haven't watched that, but it's so nice that it's available if you need it.

This one-cake shawl isn't super large, as you can see from the photos below. But it will be perfect for a lady in a nursing home, which is where this will be going this upcoming Christmas.

It was a lot of fun making this pattern, and I hope it captures the spirit of of this month's project over at Colorful Option! Thanks so much for stopping by today!