Fusion: Daisies

Rural scenes like this one are everywhere in my corner of the world.  And the end of summer in this corner of the world means it is time for the county fair.  There are barns full of animals, buildings full of flowers and vegetables, all sorts of displays, rides, a midway, shows.....and fabulous junk food! 

Miss Emma is a total fan of  Monster Trucks and for the first time ever they will appear at the fair!  She is very excited since the theme of her upcoming birthday party is Monster Trucks.  We spent the afternoon today making tags for her party favors.  I found a simple punch art monster truck on Pinterest and simplified it even more so Emma could do most of the work herself.  I punched out shapes while she glued them together.  

I used both the sketch and picture for inspiration at Fusion this week!  That is what is so great about Fusion - use what inspires you!

Stamp Sets:  Daisy Delight, Country Road, Waterfront, A Big Thank You

Paper:  Whisper White, Wood Textures DSP

Ink:  Soft Suede, Memento Black, Crumb Cake, Crushed Curry, Shaded Spruce

Small Things.....FMS351

I start and end each day with a cup of tea.  There is something calming about putting the kettle on and making tea.  I am sipping my evening cuppa while I type this and thought I would share some of the small things that happened today that definitely made my day better......

~ my SU order arrived (from the new catalog!)

~ my thirty-one order arrived (from their new craft line)

~ my Amazon order arrived (for Emma's birthday)

~ my Pampered Chef order was shipped - hmmmmm seeing a pattern here.......

And while I was peacefully sipping my breakfast tea that crazy squirrel launched himself from the hydrangea tree onto my kitchen screen and started gnawing anew!  I roared at him and away he went.....probably to go home and brew his own pot of tea and plan his next invasion.....

I loved Jen Timko's sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Hope you play along!

Stamp Sets:  Time for Tea, Coffee Talk (Lil' Inkers)
Paper:  Whisper White, Highland Heather, Garden Impressions DSP
Ink: Memento Black, Mint Macaron,Copics

Happy Haunting......FMS351

When someone tells you to get dressed up and come on over for a tea party of course you put on your Vamperina costume and bat wings and join the girls for tea.......

                                  

Amy has a fun sketch for us this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Join us!

Stamp Sets:  Spooky Sweets, Witch Feet (Hero Arts)

Ink:  Versamark, Memento Black

Paper:  Whisper White, Halloween Night DSP

Stamp Review Crew: Varied Vases

The Stamp Review Crew is featuring Varied Vases this week. It is an amazing set with endless possibilities.  It is also the Million Dollar Sales Set designed by my upline Mary Fish who is pretty amazing herself!

I love the sweet simplicity of the images in this set.  I scribbled acrylic blocks with Mint Macaron and Mango Melody markers, spritzed the blocks with water and stamped the blocks onto watercolor paper.  A paper towel easily blots up any puddles you want gone!  Then I just stamped my images in black right over the watercolored areas.  It is easy to do but there are variables because of the watercolor.....and operator error!  I dropped the blocks twice and splattered ink all over instead of stamping ink.  So my final helpful hint is - don't talk on your cell phone while handling markers and spritzing water on slippery clear blocks!  

If you missed Stesha's fabulous work head on back......

Otherwise head onward to my oh so talented friend Mike Funke's blog!

I used the sketch at Cas(e) this Sketch for my layout.

Stamp Set:  Varied Vases

Ink:  Black, Mint Macaron, Mango Melody

Paper:  Mango Melody, Whisper White, Bristol Smooth Watercolor

Fusion: Galaxy

I love this picture of Emma's sunset run along the ocean in Maine last week.  I think it was also part of the inspiration for this week's Fusion card.  I stenciled the background with Distress Inks then did the images and sentiment in Night of Navy.

Yes in my mind I am running through the surf like this.......in reality I'm in a beach chair with  my nose in a book......

I used the photo and the sketch to design my card this week at Fusion!  Always a lot there to inspire you - hope you join us!

Stamps:  Hero Arts Kit Aug. 2017, Dream Big (Hero Arts)
Ink:  Distress Inks for Stenciling, Night of Navy
Paper:  Whisper White, Night of Navy, Silver Glimmer

Be a Star......FMS350

The neutral colors of Early Espresso and Soft Sea Foam allow that gorgeous bow to take center stage on my card!  

Just like this amazing starfish takes center stage on the rock pile! Emma and her parents went to the coast of Maine last week and spent hours searching a tide pool for starfish and finally there was a delightful pink one - seemingly waving hello!

The next day they went out on a lobster boat and found another starfish caught in a trap. Emma got to hold this one before releasing it back to the sea.

                                            

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No starfish for me last week but I did get to a Dierks Bentley concert - he is definitely a star!

Narelle Farrugia (our Star Australian Designer!) has a great sketch for us this week at Freshly Made Sketches - join us!

                                                  

Stamp Sets:  Wishing You Well, Waterfront
Ink:  Fresh Fig, Early Espresso, Soft  Sea Foam
Paper:  Whisper White,  Tranquil Textures

Hello......FMS349

I went to a shoebox swap this past weekend and learned a simple but effective technique to add depth to a sentiment.  I stamped the sentiment on my card with Broken China Distress Oxide Ink using my Misti.  Then I used my finger to apply Black Soot Distress Oxide Ink to just the bottom edges of the stamp and stamped again to get this effect.  I love the shading it adds!

Every time I have gone to a shoebox swap I have used a different container (including a real shoebox!) for my supplies trying to find an efficient way to organize my materials.  I think I finally found it!  My daughter sells thirty-one and they have just come out with a craft line. This bag worked great!

And it opens like this!  Everything fit perfectly inside!

My wonderfully inky friend Karren has a wide open sketch for us this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Enjoy!

Stamp Sets:  Serene Garden, Hello (Hero Arts)

Paper:  Raspberry Ripple, Whisper White, Sweet Soiree DSP

Ink:  Distress Oxides, Copics, Memento Black

Fusion: Rustic Flowers

The Big Guy was out of town for the day so I decided to spend the morning making rice pudding and creating my Fusion card.  The rice pudding recipe I use is needs to simmer a while with occasional stirring.  So every 15 minutes I headed downstairs to stir.  Who says crafting isn't an aerobic exercise?  

On my third trip into the kitchen guess who is on the kitchen counter?  That squirrel!  In a 15 minute time period he had destroyed two window screens and was headed for some sweet corn on the counter.  I yelled and he took off in a panic, ran across the counter, jumped onto my rice pudding pot, knocked the lid off then leaped to a side window.  No exit there so off to the dining room where he played a tune running up and down the piano keys while I opened all the kitchen windows.

I chased him off the piano and he flew to the top of my drapes where we had a staring contest until I shook the drapes.  He jumped down over the dining room table to the floor and headed back to the kitchen and in one more wild leap was over the counter and back out the window.

And did I mention that I was on the phone rescheduling a doctor's appointment as I entered the kitchen?  The poor secretary heard all the shrieking and carrying on until at some point I hung up.  When I finally called back another girl answered and started to laugh and said, "Oh are you the lady with the squirrel?"  Why yes.....yes I am.....

                                Squirrel - 2      Us - 0

I used both the sketch and the photo this week at Fusion!  So glad there isn't a squirrel in that photo! Join us!  

Stamp Set:  Love What You Do

Ink:  Blushing Bride, Granny Apple Green, Memento Black

Paper:  Whisper White, Tropical Escape DSP

Die Cut: Wood Crate Framelits

Summer Guests....FMS348

Nothing better than getting together with friends and relaxing by the lake in Adirondack Chairs!  Summer is the best time around here to catch up with friends.  Unfortunately now and then an unwelcome guest shows up.

Yesterday I went out to run errands and when I returned this is what the screen looked like on my window over the sink.....

I followed a trail of knocked over items from the window sill and found my package of rolls for dinner....

Not a doubt we had had a visitor.....the furry kind with a long gray tail!  So I took my 8 pound 16 year old poodle (who is deaf and mostly blind) and commanded her to search the house.  That didn't work out as planned so I searched - shaking curtains, flipping furniture - no luck.  I hoped that meant Mr. Squirrel left the building with his takeout.

I headed to the garage to tell the Big Guy he had a screen to repair and he said the day before he chased a squirrel down from the screen.  He couldn't believe it had jumped from the hydrangea bush to the house.  Well that squirrel was brave enough to defy the Big Guy the next day and rip open that screen!  While we were talking I noticed a squirrel come out from the hedges and head up the hydrangea bush bold as can be!  We chased him away but I think I heard it laughing at the sight of two gray haired old folk charging across the lawn!

The screen has been repaired, the bush has been trimmed we are on the lookout for a fat sassy squirrel!  Some guests are harder to discourage than others.....

Jen Brum our resident designer from Canada - where I am sure the squirrels are HUGE - has a great sketch for us this week at Freshly Made Sketches.  Join us!

Stamp Set:  Love You To Pieces

Paper:  Whisper White, Best Route DSP, Pineapple Punch, Call Me Clover, Blueberry Bushel, Lovely Lipstick

Ink:  Blueberry Bushel

Die Cut:  ADK Chair (TE), Wonky Stitches (Avery Elle)