Chinese take out

Here are the choices from Splitcoast's limited challenge today ... you need to choose one from each category.  link http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=444915

Menu #1 – Images (just pick one item from each menu!)
1. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles – basically anything with locomotion (this would include boats, too!)
2. Non-floral Nature
3. Neutral Images (stuff that isn’t girly, for sure) 

Menu #2 – Color Schemes 
1. Reds/Blues
2. Greens/Browns
3. Neutrals

Menu #3 – Embellishments 
1. Ribbon & Brads OR Eyelets (tie masculine KNOTS instead of girly BOWS)
2. Diecuts/Punches & Embossing Folders/Texture Plates
3. Natural Fibers & Hardware (hodpodge, charms, etc.)

I know I already made Mike an anniversary card, but I think this year he will get two. I tucked the first one in his briefcase, I will save this one for dinner tonight.

Steve's success: and our 38th anniversary

The card for Steve is kind of poignant ... he called to tell us he survived his first day on the floor and didn't kill anyone. He insisted some of the patients were quite eager to do it too. So I made him this card to celebrate his first day on thoracic rotation.

The other card is for our anniversary.  Gosh some of those 38 years went by really fast. Here is the card I made for Mike tomorrow - for Father's day we got matching pink and green kayaks. 

Lazy watercolor

I might have created a new technique this morning. I used a marker on my butterfly stamp and when I huffed it, it just didn't seem moist enough - and I have a brand new mister but it was upstairs and I was downstairs. However, right at my side was a bottle of stamp cleaner with a dabber on top. So I dibbed and I dabbed and then I stamped and I got the prettiest rainbow of color! The 2nd stamping was almost as pretty as the first. I mounted the 2nd one on a background I got from Susan K -- looks like polished stone on glossy. Once again, my scanner didn't do it justice!

I used today's splitcoast sketch for my card and punched some holes like the technique junkies" Heavenly Holes"  technique - was pleased as could be with the result.

Links: Splitcoast sketch    http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=444498

Technique junkies: http://www.techniquejunkies.com/tutorials_artwork/0609/heavenly-holes-tutorial.html

Cards to copy

The challenge is to go through Christy's gallery and choose a card to copy. My cards are the larger images, the inspiration is the thumbnail sketch.

Tuesday with the queen

I love to visit this blog http://mothermark.blogspot.com/ for inspiration. Each Tuesday a different tea pot is chosen as the inspiration for a card. Since today's teapot came from Windsor Castle, I figured I needed to keep my little pinkie up - and made the flowers with my pinkie. The crown stamp is my favorite back-of-a-card stamp from Amy but seemed to fit just fine on the front. The crown made a great pot for the flower. I thought the ribbon looked like a windsor tie and of course had to pull out the pearls for the occasion.

Please leave comments because I am just playing with that function and I THINK I got it to work finally!

Mike went for a 60 mile bike ride on Saturday which gave me lots of time to go to the Di's Stamp in Bay City. We made 3 cards, and I bought a ton of stuff including the marigold stamp and several distress ink pads. 

The marigold card was made with vellum and staz on. After cutting out the petals and slitting them a bit, we wet both sides and the vellum curled up and made the petals.   Then I used the same stamp to do today's splitcoast simple card  challenge which was paper piecing.  Not sure which look I prefer but at least I now have another way to justify my marigold stamp purchase.

Denim bookmark

Tried out the denim technique featured on Splitcoast this morning and then in the forum, someone linked to this denim technique page ... http://ellenhutson.typepad.com/the_classroom_new/2009/06/dad-card-jeans-texture-by-debbie-olson.html ... Wow, lots of great ideas like the seam and the gel pen and the white smudging along the seam.

Another cup of coffee later and I found idea for a bookmark and knew this was perfect.

Check out Susan's blog http://susansdayoffcreations.blogspot.com/2009/06/summer-reading-list-bookmark.html

SHE got the idea from http://www.ginasmakingsandmusings.blogspot.com/2009/06/riley-bookmarks-and-reading-log.html .

Here's the card I came up with. ( remember how they say it takes a village to raise a child? Seems today it took a village to create my card ! )

Father's Day

  Were we really ever that young? This is the Father's Day card I made for Mike.