Hello May, Goodbye April

Good morning! It is very early and I've been up for HOURS! I woke up and just couldn't go back to sleep for some reason. I hate when that happens and I lay in bed trying so had to go back to sleep. Then, the longer I try, the more thoughts race through my mind. So, two and a half hours later, here I am writing to you, dear readers.

I have a card to share with you today. First, however, I would like to share the story of the teapot. One day, I came across a blog that had an adorable teapot card. As I read, I learned that the mother of the author of the blog had drawn four differently styled teapots for her. The gal posted the patterns on the blog to share with others. This was one of the four. Sadly, I didn't bookmark her blog! I have no idea who she is (and I don't have the other three patterns, either)! So, I deeply apologize for not giving this wonderful blogger credit where credit is due. If you know the name of her blog, please let me know. I sure would like to use the other patterns and give the blog owner credit.

I love how this card turned out. It is so pretty in real life. There is lots of layering on all three "pages" of the card. I've also used machine stitching and pretty doilies throughout. Tilda was colored with inks. The background paper pictured on the inside of the card isn't quite as dark as it looks on the screen. The solid color on the front of the card is quite true. I used pearl accents on the spout (it looks like swirling steam) and along the edge of the teapot opening. Iand even added tiny little pearls on Tilda's "ears."

Here are the shots:







Have a wonderful day everyone. Thank you so much for stopping by. I love your visits and love, even more, the comments you share!

XO,
Chris

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

1. The Crafty Pad - Pearls and Swirls

2. Creative Cowgirls - Mother's Day

3. Creative Inspirations Paint - Mother's Day

4. Magnolia Stamp Lovers - Flowers

5. Stamptacular Sunday - Mum's the Word

Just Another Manic Monday!

Well, the weekend flew by, didn't it? I kept very busy working on projects and cooking. I figured that it would be nice if I cooked a few meals instead of ordering in. With just the two of us, it is just easier to eat out - no muss, no fuss! We don't have a lot of restaurants here, compared to the restaurants we had in Vegas, but we've adjusted - sort of! DH still brings pizza home from Vegas when he has lunch with the guys. I miss our Mediterranean restaurant so much. Here, all the Mexican restaurants taste the same. It's like they all use the same sauces, etc. In a blindfold test, I wouldn't be able to determine who was who, LOL!

I have to share an unexpected event today. I was looking through some card entries for a challenge. DH came and sat beside me and also looked with me. He'd offer his "artistic" critiquing at the ones I was viewing. I went to my submission and DH ripped it apart! He didn't remember it was MINE! I expected him to look at the card and say all good things! Silly me! I should have realized that he wouldn't remember it! After he shredded my entry, I told him it was mine, LOL! Talk about back peddling. Gals, that man was back tracking so fast, it was as if he was moving at warp speed! Bless his heart. He had the canary's feathers sticking out of his mouth as he choked on what he had said. So much for my card being anything exceptional. Now, if he had been smart, he would have said something like, "I was just seeing what you would do. I knew it was your card all the time!" He didn't. He's too honest, LOL. I was so surprised, too, because that wasn't what I expected to happen! It made for a good laugh and a lesson on loyalty. If he knows its mine, he's filled with support. I love that about him!

I have a card to share with you today. It's another Easter card. I hope you like it. It's done in a color I don't like very well, LOL.



The "awning" is on pop dots to nice elevation. The wagon and character are popped up above that. I like having the dimension. I used a metal egg trio photo corner as an accent piece



This is the upper inside of the card. I love the pretty flowers! There is a little egg charm tucked under the flowers.



I used a matching ribbon slide. The tag is removable.



Well, there you have it! I think I have one more Easter card in my head bouncing around. I'll know once I start looking at my papers.

Thank you so much for stopping by. I really appreciate your taking the time. Have a wonderful week!

XO,
Chris

April's On the Move

I cannot believe that today is April 8. Time is just flying by! Where do the hours go? I know I'm busy, but the weird thing is that before I retired, my days seem to pass so slowly! Now that I have the luxury of doing as I please, when I wish, the days are just zipping by! I was much busier when I was teaching. After 32 years in education, I am so loving scheduling my own day!

One such activity of choice is the card I have to share with you today. I love this stamp! It is just the sweetest image. Here it is:



Lots of pop dots were used to elevate the center element. The plaid papers are not that orangy gold color, but a sweet sunny, butter colored yellow..

This is the upper inside of the card with poem I created.



This is the lower portion of the interior:



I just so love that bunny stamp!

Thank you so much for visiting! I hope you will come back again when you're in the neighborhood! I'll make us lunch!

XO,
Chris

Happy April Fool's Day!

Well, did you prank anyone today? Since DH is out of town, I haven't anyone to pull a trick on! The cats wouldn't get it. LOL This day always seemed to mark the start of Spring for me for some reason. I guess, for some of you, that would be hard since you've gotten snow! Maybe April snow brings May flowers! Keep a head's up today so you won't be outsmarted! LOL

I have an Easter card to share today. I chose the colors pink and green. I just love this stamp! Tilda looks so cute! Here are the card images:





I used paper lace and elevated the center image on pop dots. I chose to add tiny little pearls around the oval. As you can see, I also used machine stitching, inking, and WOC flowers. There is also a tiny Easter egg charm which says, "Happy Easter" on it.



This is the upper inside of the card. I used more paper lace and elevated the sentiment on pop dots.





This is the lower inside of the card. The center panel has not been elevated so that a sentiment may be written with ease.



This card is available for purchase in my Etsy Shop.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Magnolia-licious Highlites - Easter/Spring themed card
Colour Create Challenge Blog - Pastel/Easter
Craft Us Crazy - Easter/Spring
ABC Challenge - Roses
Sweet Stamps - Easter

Thank you so much for stopping by! It is so appreciated that you took the time to visit. I hope you will continue to stop in and see what I've been doing. Know that your comments are the incentive I need to keep going!

Have a wonderful weekend!

XO,
Chris

Happy Monday!

What a gorgeous day! It's about 70° outside and there is a breeze blowing through the house. The air is rich with pollen - a sure sign of spring! My hummingbirds haven't shown up yet, but I'm sure they'll be here soon! The other day, as I watched out the window of my scraproom, I witnessed two cabbage moths "playing" together as they fluttered through the air. I KNEW they weren't playing but doing what the birds and bees do in the Spring! LOL It was so sweet! Cabbage moths are those pretty white butterfly looking critters. Bless their little hearts!

I have a new card to share with you today. I just give up on getting the lighting right. How I can take the exact same shot three times and get three different color outcomes is beyond me! Arrgghh! One version came out all magenta. One came out looking green, and one was "workable." I wish I knew what the secret to good photos is! I'm at a loss. I'm using an Ott light and it still looks fluorescent. I know there's enough light because my flash won't work.

Here's the card I did:



The little angel has been colored with inks. I am so comfortable using them over my Copics. I get sweaty palms just picking up the boxes of Copics to start working with them! LOL

These are the shots of the inside:







I just thought that Magnolia infant stamp was adorable. I've used it since I got it, but never posted a card to my blog on which I used it.

I am submitting this card into the following challenges:

CES Challenges - die cuts
Magnolia Stamp Lovers Challenge - ribbon
RESQ Challenge - Scrub It Up! (I chose #1 with the flowers & pink colors)
Wild Orchid Crafts - Sketch
Just Magnolia - Bingo (ribbon, flowers, gems)

Thank you so much for stopping by! Your visits are such a joy! I hope you will come back again!

XO,
Chris Christensen

Do March Showers bring April Flowers?

We have had such a wonderful March! It's been cool and damp here in the desert. Last night, I was awakened with the wind outside just hauling! Then, later, I was awakened with pouring rain outside! Morning came with bright sunlight! We're in a wet pattern that is great for the water levels and horrible for those of us with allergies!

I've been working on cards. I do have one to share with you today that is for Easter. I put it up on Etsy and it was gone in no time! That's the second time in a week that one went right after I posted it! The nice thing is that it is the same person, so I can only guess she likes my work! I like her, too! I hope she isn't disappointed. LOL

Here it is:



I decide to do a round card this time. I love this little Tilda. That egg is adorable. I inked the edges of the lavender papers and cardstock just to give it depth. I used the Cat's Eye Lavender inkpad to match the papers. I colored the image w/ Copics.



This is the inside top of the card. I pulled out my Cricut and put it to work for me. The stickers are rimmed in a multicolored silverish effect. It made a nice contrast against the papers.



I fell in love with that ribbon. The flowers on it are just perfect! For the shapes, I used my Nesties.

Here is what the card looks like completely on the inside.



So, that is one of the cards I did this week. I am so not a purple person! The papers are lovely with it.

I'm going to hunker down with a book, I think. I'm tuckered out. I had a busy day, LOL.

Thank you so much for stopping by! It is so sweet that you have taken the time to visit. I hope you will come back again!

Blessings,

Chris

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

1. Stamp with Fun - Spring
2. Stamping Scrapping Challenge Central - Pastels
3. Card Cupid's Blog - Spring
4. The Corrosive Challenge Blog - Recipe
5. Creative Inspirations Paint - Easter
6. Gingerloft Creations - die cuts

Happy First Day of Spring!

What a wonderful first day of Spring it was - temps in the 50s, a gray overcast sky, and rain coming! Any rainy day in the desert is a good day because we need the water! Also, I know that on any given day in June, July, August, or September, I'll be dreaming of temps like today!

As I sat at my scrap table and gazed out the window, I noticed that my two bridlewreath plants had fresh, green leaves! They're awake! I love bridlewreath bushes. We had them at our home in Bucks County, PA. We also had gorgeous forsythia bushes which just don't grow well here. At least the bridlewreath can take the heat!

I have a new card to share with you today. I thought I had the frog stamp. I just KNEW I had the frog stamp. I went through all my stamps and it must have hopped away, because there was no frog stamp to be found! So, I ordered one to complete the card I had started. I am such a reflective person. I have ideas bouncing around in my head for months before they all fall into place. Such is the case with this card. I hope you like it. Here it is:



I loved this Basic Grey paper! It was just right for a masculine card such as this. I've inked and distressed the edges, added lots of layers, too. There is machine stitching around the stamped image. The wings have been filled in with glitter glue as is the frog's crown. It adds just the right amount of sparkle! I had to have flowers. What can I say? LOL So, I chose to use masculine colored flowers instead of girly ones.

The next image is of the upper inside of the card. Again, I added my flowers and used my computer to print the sentiment. I love these papers!



Below is the lower inside of the card. Here is the frog that got away! LOL His crown has been filled in with yellow glitter glue. I thought about using one of the gold shades that I have, but I liked the yellow so much better! Again, the sentiment was printed on my computer.


The last shot is of the what the card looks like on the inside.



This card was so much fun to make! I really got into this one for some reason!

This card is available for purchase in my Etsy Shop.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

1. Magnolia-licous Challenge Blog - green
2. Let's Ink It Up - Die cuts/punches
3. Sentimental Sundays - Sentiment
4. tamptacular Sunday Challenge - Sentiment
5. Delightful Sketches - Green
6. Moving Along with the Times - Good Luck

**A note about the word verification** - I apologize for leaving it on. I have found that when I turn it off, I am receiving disgusting messages from "anonymous." When it is on, the bot that leaves these pieces of trash is unable to do so.
Thank you so much for visiting my blog. I so appreciate the time you took to visit and leave such a treasured comment!

Blessings,
Chris Christenen