Enjoying Life One Celebration at a Time

 My card today features a Bugaboo image. I believe this is Sweet Dottie. I used a DP with roses on the cut-out front of my card, and covered the inside of the card with shimmery pink paper. My image is colored with Copics, taking inspiration from YouTube's Mariah Elizabeth by coloring tiny sprinkles in the cupcake's frosting.  

The greeting above her head is embossed on a punched circle, and I added a few black adhesive-backed jewels for embellishment. The card's inside reads, "Have a sweet birthday". 

Just boo-tiful vibes all day.

Just finished a very busy summer of traveling. I visited my SIL and her wife in June/July. Phenix is hot, but it's true what they say, "It's a dry heat." Of course, their pool helped when the temps went above 110 degrees...

I also spent three weeks visiting my sister and her hubby in Germany. They live in Dusseldorf, and while there, we took a few side trips. One of them was Amsterdam. I'll have to share some pics from my travels later this month.

Meanwhile, it's time to celebrate the Spooky Days of Halloween. Today I found a pad of black cardstock paper and whipped out my white gel pen. Since Halloween is coming up, the ghosts are causing traffic jams almost every night...

Expect more throughout the month, even though my sis and her plus-one have been visiting me for the last three weeks in Chicago. Never a dull moment (and today is her birthday)!! Happy birthday, sis!!

Welcome to the Spookiest Month of the Year

 October is finally here, and my house is nothing but Halloween crafts, supplies, wall decor, shadow boxes, artwork, sentiments, decoration--you name it, I have it!! Today's card features an unidentified image called Betelgeuse. Although I've had this digital stamp for a few years, I believe it's the first time I've used it. I'm discovering a lot of unused craft supplies in my yearlong decluttering and organizing. 

I used leftover papers from a Halloween paper stack and leftover trim from a crafting friend, Holley Barnhart. The EEK! sentiment and the tombstone reading MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM are from the same paper stack. I found a pack of plastic spiders so one could hang from the big guy's hand.

I have a nice thick stack of Halloween cards I'll be giving to friends and neighbors this month along with a little handmade item or snack. I usually do this on either Halloween or Christmas. Last year I made Charcouterie boards with cheese and a Halloween spreader and napkin for my neighbors. I haven't decided what to make this year. Maybe I'll just do Thanksgiving and Christmas...

I also make special goodie bags for my neighbors' children. Last year the bags were filled with candy and trading cards. I better get on that because I haven't thought of what to do this year... I hope you are ready for my favorite holiday--Is it yours too?

CHALLENGES I AM ENTERING:

Cashing In by Using My Stash

 

Today I'm featuring another birthday card made completely with leftovers from my stash. The die-cuts were from a bag of birthday greetings and elements. The felt flower is so old I have no idea where it came from! The card front is from a pack of cards, a leftover piece I used to attached to a piece of cardstock I folded today.

It was a quick make, so I made two. My sister's coming in from Germany with her husband, and she always brings back a handful of cards from my stash. I have made some of them in German. Mostly she prefers notecards that she can write something in and hand to someone. Just a decorated front and blank inside.

That's it for today! 

  

CHALLENGES I AM ENTERING:

My Summer Flip

I was driving to the grocery store and spied a dirty, rusty neglected patio table sitting on the end of  a neighbor's driveway, waiting for pick-up by the garbage truck. It had a thick plate of glass that showed the possibility of a beautiful outdoor dining set, but I had to be quick. The garbage truck was at the end of the block, coming our way.

I got there not only in time to rescue the pieces, but the driver of said truck helped load the chairs into my car. He promised not to take the table and glass. after dropping off the chairs at my house, I returned just as a neighbor was parking his car in his own driveway. He helped me take the glass off and put it into my car. One more quick trip back and forth and he helped me put the table in as well.

I started with the heavy piece of glass, which needed two hours of elbow grease and window cleaner to make it shine again. The table was next, but I had to sand off the rusty frame so I could spray paint it. I had recently bought a few cans on clearance from HobbyLobby and Michaels.

After the table was painted, I cleaned, sanded and painted the chairs, having removed the chair pads. I gave them a good cleaning and sorted thru my excess material before choosing one large enuf to cover all six chairs. 

Last weekend, I held a garage sale and the table and chairs were very popular. I sold it the first day!!   Here's the before photo. I also decluttered my basement, emptying two bookcases. I repainted the top of one of them, and they were sold the same day as the table (and three sets of cozy mystery series went as well. My mom, before she passed, was an avid trading card collector. I had mountains of tubs in my basement of non-sport trading cards, some still in factory-sealed boxes. I never realized how many collectors are out there!! I made some pretty good money selling two tubs of them (and yes, I checked E-Bay for the going rates).

Now my main focus is to clean up the slightly empty basement and make it a livable space for my sister and her husband when they come in from Germany for a visit. My secondary project is to pull out all the Holiday and Halloween crafts I've made throughout the year for a craft fair in September.  My work is cut out for me.,.

I'm Busting Out Another Birthday Card Today

 After my cardio workout this morning, I felt like using lots of color on today's card. I found the perfect paper to go with a new birthday card. It's from Close to my Heart. I had a friend who sold their products. She also facilitated weekend crops which I loved to attend. I haven't scrapbooked in a long time. My photos and memorabilia are spilling out of their drawers and filling up my computer's memory.

Meanwhile, I'm making birthday cards. It's a nice quick craft whose supplies don't take a lot of room, and I am all about decluttering this year. I want to pare down my many craft interests, but my ADHD craves new projects like an addict...

Meanwhile, my card uses one of my favorite images, of which I can't remember the artist/designer. If you know whose image this is, please comment below. I like to give credit where credit is due. The paper flowers are from my stash, as well as the celebratory die-cuts. I colored the image with my Copics. And that's all, folks! At least for today...

CHALLENGES I AM ENTERING:

HALLOWEEN & OTHER OCCASIONS ALL YEAR ROUND -  This is my DT make

CRAFTY ANIMALS -  AG w/Animals

HEARTS QUEST CELEBRATIONS OF LOVE -CcHALLENGE #7, BIRTHDAY

LOVE TO CRAFT - AG #87

PAPER ROCK SCISSORS -  AG using papers and scissors on your project

CREATIVECRAFTERS - Anything Goes

It's Coming...

 

I created another "two-fer" today. That's what I call it when I create two cards i/o one with pretty much the same supplies. The papers are both from a DCWV paper stack, as well as the greetings. On the featured in the forefront, I used a brand-new-in-the-package set of acrylic stamps that I bought years ago (!) from Michael's. It's one of their own Recollections stamp sets. 

I also changed the orientation of the two cards, but not much more than that, besides the focus of each. Like I always say, It's just as easy to make two cards as it is to make one...

Are you filling up your stash of Halloween cards? There are only two months left before we get our scary on! See you at the Halloween & Other Occasions Challenge Blog this month!

CHALLENGES I AM ENTERING: