A Little Garland

Make It Monday at Papertrey Ink this week is all about making garland for your cards from dies. I don't have any PTI dies but I did use their wonderful white card stock as my card base. I pulled out the crimper and dusted it off to add a little texture to the upper panel. This was quite a fun technique and I have another card in Spanish (Thinking of You) to take to the gift shop.

I would like to enter this card into the challenge at Paper and Such. The challenge is Wings and Things. I'm hoping you can see the little 3-D wing on my birdie!!

I think I told you that we had a pretty bad thunder/wind storm come through on Saturday night. Thought I'd show you a picture of a couple of trees it took down at the entrance to our subdivision. Luckily there were no houses near these trees.

We went to one of our favorite restaurants for supper last night and noticed that their sign was gone. We asked the owner if it was damaged in the storm and he said that the sign was found about 18 blocks away in downtown Chapala!

We have some gray clouds this morning but it looks like it is going to clear up. We've plans to have a late lunch with friends at a good restaurant in a nearby village called Viva Mexico. Our friends just returned from a week in Puerto Vallarta and we're eager to hear about all of their adventures!

Betty

What If? Wednesday Sketch A2212

Thank you, Theresa Pollack, for reminding me about the terrific sketch at The House That Stamps  Built. I really liked the sketch when I first saw it -- it appealed to me because I haven't done a card with inchies in quite a while. The inchie stamps are from Inkadinkado, Flourishes. The sentiment is from a Stampin' Up sentiments set in Spanish. Butterfly punch is from Martha Stewart.

Here's the sketch......

That's all for now -- short and sweet!
Betty

Christmas Star

The August Embellishment challenge at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown is to use chipboard on your card. I created my own chipboard by using the stiff backing sheet from a pack of 12x12 paper and adhering a gold mulberry paper onto the "homemade chipboard". Then I ran it through my Big Shot with a Sizzix Bigz die, Star, Nested Hanging.  I did not use the largest star since it was bigger than my standard A2 card.

I also cut a piece of the "chipboard" with a Spellbinders Fancy Tags 3 tag. I wanted to stamp onto the mulberry paper with the navy ink but it would not accept the ink. So I had to trace an oval onto white card stock from the die, cut it out, and then stamp the sentiment from a Stampin' Up set, Star Studded Season. I wanted to put rhinestones at the tip of each start point but that made it a little too busy -- so I settled for four of them on the fancy tag!

The inside of the card uses a stamp from Flourishes set, The First Noel. A Martha Stewart corner punch was used on the white card stock that I adhered to the navy card base.

On a different note ~~~ 

For your amazement and enjoyment~~~~~~~~

A friend sent me this video to me via email and I just had to share it with all of you. You won't believe how cool this is!!

How to separate an egg

Disregard the language barrier, just watch the self explanatory video.

How to separate an egg white from yolk. Watch.http://bbs.wenxuecity.com/cooking/1160651.html

Bye for now,
Betty

Roses Challenge -- NOT!

Today being the last Sunday of the month, I'm supposed to have a card for the Roses' Challenge. Sweet Sue from Australia gave us an inspiration photo to create from.

Well, I've just gotta say, I'm so literal minded that I couldn't see a card in this photo -- not at all! About the only way I even deviate from a sketch is to turn it 90 degrees!! So, sorry Sue, this Rose wasn't up to the challenge. I failed, I failed!!!!

Oh well, not to worry, I have a card or two to share with you that wasn't inspired by the above photo!! I have two more birthday cards:

This digital image is from Sue at McMahon Five Designs. I just love how it turned out after being colored with my $5.72 set of colored pencils from Wal-Mart!

My next card was made with another image of Sue's. The sentiment is from Gina K. Designs, Inside and Out. The dew drops on the rose are given texture with Crystal Effects. Since I normally put the person's name on each of the cards I make for my friend, I realized when I had finished that her sister-in-law's name was not on the card. So I stamped her name on the little butterfly and perched it on the corner of the focal image -- disaster averted!!

We had a very strong thunderstorm come through last night and we lost power. It was back on when we got home from church so that it why this post is a little late! Hope you enjoyed my cards even though they weren't appropriate for the challenge -- I'll try to do better next month!!

Betty

Birthday Cards

Over the next few days I'll be sharing some cards with you that I made for a friend from church. This first card was made for a young man who is now a Senior in college and guess what he loves to do? If you said "fishing" you are correct!! This card was made with a Scrapbook Kit called The Great Outdoors. The sentiment stamp is from Gina K. Designs, Inside and Out.

This card is for a young lady who is studying to become a teacher. The large image is Wild at Heart from Gina K. Designs. It was stamped on white card stock in Stampin' Up Purely Pomegranate ink; the card base is the same color card stock and the ribbon is Purely Pomegranate too (a former In Color). The sentiment is computer generated and cut out with Spellbinders Ribbon Tags Trio. I did stamp the image twice and cut out the flowers to be popped up on the card. Maybe you can see that a little better with this next picture.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Betty

Sweet Surprises

Just wanted to let you all know about a change I've made in the selling of my cards. I have stopped going to the Monday Market each week. Well, actually I still go to a Monday market, but it is the local street market held in Chapala each week. I've missed being able to buy my fruits and vegetables here each week because I had to be present at the other market to sell cards. This past week I began selling my cards at a local gift shop, Diane Pearl. Check out the link to see some of the beautiful things she sells at her shop. I count myself fortunate that she wants to offer my cards in her shop -- please pray that the cards will be good sellers and I will end up making even more money for the Hope House boys home! Her shop has a wonderful location in the village of Ajijic which is a popular weekend getaway for folks who live in Guadalajara. So, I'm trying to beef up my supply of cards with Spanish sentiments in order to appeal to the Spanish speaking tourists.

Thanks for your encouragement in the past -- my donations, combined with those of many others, have provided much needed dental care for many young boys; some who have never even seen the inside of a dental clinic!

Betty

Merry Monday 29

My friend LeAnne inspired me with the card she made for the Merry Monday Sketch #29 challenge. I had to stop and made a card straight away -- with the new Fancy Tags 3 that my DH brought back for me on his quickie trip to Texas last week.

My card base is Vintage Cream from Papertrey Ink, Stampin' Up Real Red, and patterned paper from an old SU paper pack. Stamps and ribbon are also from Stampin' Up.

Here's the sketch from Merry Monday....

Click on the link to go over to Lesley's blog and see all the fabulous cards the design team came  up with this week. If you haven't started your Christmas cards yet, I bet you'll be inspired by the sketch and their examples!!

Had a new experience this past week. While DH was in Texas a friend and I went out to eat at a restaurant owned by a French gentlemen. My friend is German and when she saw that "tongue" was on the menu, she was so excited. She has told me in the past what a delicacy tongue is considered to be in Europe and she laughs because most North Americans made an awful face when she mentions it! Well, I have to admit, the thought of eating tongue has never appealed to me very much either, but adventurous soul that I am, she talked me into having a bite. It actually was not bad at all -- no wild or grainy taste -- after the first bite, I even took the second!

So long for now,
Betty