Hello, hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day weekend.  The weather has been less than ideal but we are homebodies anyway.  Today we get our youngest grandson for a couple of days because mom and dad are in NYC.  It has been a rough week for our yougest daughter as three of her friends have had loved ones pass.  So "mom I need sympathy cards".  So I came up with a few of my own and two I CASed from thank you cards I received.  So my theme this week has been sympathy cards and just wanted to get this going before the wild child gets here.  He is 15 months old and ready to explore the world.

Well I CASed this one from Ann Clemmer, Stamperdog.com, a Stampin Up demonstrator in Califorma. 

This one was from a thank you card from my friend Jeanne McNeal who attended a stamp n stack hosted by Kim Pohl another Stampin Up demonstrator in MN

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day.  I sure did.  All three of my children and all three grandsons came over for spaghetti dinner.  It was wonderful.  They are all awesome.  My two oldest grandsons, Brandon and Blake stay as far away from the camera as possible but the youngest, Cohen doesn't care.  He lets us take picture after picture of him.  He was quite entertaining eating spaghetti.
See for yourself.

Cohen and his noodle

Cohen and Aunt Jenny

Brian, my son is also a photophobe but we got a picture with him, Cohen and Aunt Jenny

This is a different noodle.

I also made Mother's Day cards for my Mother-In-Law and my two daughters.  This were done quickly as I have been going through stamps and boxing up a lot to get rid of.  I also put everyone of my Stampin Up sets on cling foam and into 3 ring binders.  Still need to get a couple more binders.  My next project is to put any individual stamps that I have on cling foam.  I needed to down size as well as organize.  The two are going hand in hand.  So much fun.  Anyway here are the cards that I made for Mother's Day. 

I really love the Stampin Up Summer Smooches Stamps and papers. I also wanted to use up some of the older products I had like brads and ribbon. This is how the front of the card started. I embossed a white piece of card stock using the small dots embossing folder although that is difficult to see in the photo.  I will have to make a photo box from the idea on Pinterest.  I then took a piece of the Summer Smooches dp and wrapped a piece of dotted yellow ribbon around the two.  I die cut a tag from a Nestibilities set.  The I stamped.  First the vase and flower stems, that is a stamp set from the Summer Smooches, I told you I love them.  Then I stamped a sentiment using another Stampin Up set called Friendly Phrases.  I used a couple of rhinestone brads for the flowers and thought I was done. 

I realized I didn't have a mom stamp so I masked the you're the best part of the sentiment I used on the front and turned it upside down.  I sure thought that was a clever idea.

I decided the card needed more so I added one more vase with flowers to finish it all off. This card went to Katy she loves purple.

 This card is for Jennifer, her favorite color is blue.  It was made the same as the previous card but I switched the papers and placement of the sentiment.  I liked this card very much and felt it was complete.

I tried the same masking technique as in Katy's card but got a small like of ink under the first letter.  Since she has two boys, I just put two wavy lines under mom to finish it off.

Well I just couldn't help myself and added a second vase and flowers.  Both cards are similiar but not the same.  Oh by the way, Brandon my oldest grandson spent the night before with us so I had him sign all the childrens names.

This is the card I made for my Mother-In-Law, Lorraine.  I used the doily stamp because it reminds me of the doilies my mother used to make.  I added some premade flowers and then used the same sentiment stamp that I used on my daughters cards.  I stamped mom on the front (the unside down WOW) and the rest of the sentiment went inside.  I think it turned out stunning.

Well now in between downsizing and organizing I am going to make some birthday and sympathy cards for my daughter, Jennifer's work.  She is a home hospice nurse. I am happy that I will be making cards that will help brighten someone's day.  Well off to organizing.  Talk at ya soon. Have a wonderful and blessed week.



A Sunday Afternoon

I tried to play golf early afternoon but that was a disaster.  I only had Tuesday when I didn't play so maybe I am just not playing well because I haven't taken a break.  Will take a break from golf on Wednesday and Thursday of this coming week.  In the mean time I completed two more cards and hope to get 1 more done.  I am in the middle of packing for our summer excursion and want to make sure I take the stamping things I will want to use with me so  my supplies are limited.  Oh well I do have ink, stamps and paper that will remain here so I will be able to come up with something.  Here are the two cards I made this afternoon and now I am off to pack.

I do love the newsprint stamping.  The supplies are Stampin Up.

This card is for a StampTV challenge.  I cased Melanie Muenchinger's card called Calla Lillies.   The challenger is to change two things on the card.  Well I changed just about everything except the concept.  I really thing it turned out beautiful and know the beautiful friend that I am giving it too.

Well this morning I looked at last night's card and felt the ribbon just didn't show enough so I added a little more this morning and here it is. Later, Pam\

STV12MON13 StampTV Challenge

Finally am getting back to participating in some challenges.  The first stop was StampTV. This past Monday's challenge was to use a stamp that had never been inked before.  I had the Gina K designs stamp set "You Go Girl" that I had never got around to stamping with so I brought it out and came up with this creation. 

GKD card swap

I have found that I love Pinterest.  So many ideas for cards and just anything else.  I am seriously considering learning how to cook.  The weather here in Florida has been wonderful.  Warm days and cool nights.  We have been playing a lot of golf with our friends because soon we will be heading to Minnesota for the summer.  But before I go north I wanted to finish the cards that I am doing for a card swap over on Stamp TV.  This weekend I came up with the ideas and created a card for each of the three categories and in fact finished all the cards in the red, white and blue category.  Thought I might share the cards with those of you that follow my blog.  Here they are.

Category 1 was a wedding or annivery card

Category 2 was red, white and blue

Category 3 was a masculine card.

This was my very first attempt at a swing card but I think it turned out very well and is definitely a great birthday card. 

I now just have to find where I put the kraft paper I cut for the masculine card and do the rest of the cards in the other two categories.  I really enjoy the swaps and it does challenge my creativity and allows me to use all the stamps, inks, embellishments and tools that I have accumulated. 

Only a week and a half and then we will be heading north.  Since it was a mild winter the golf courses are open so that we can continue golfing.  I think I am going to take some lessons.  Don't know if there are any instructors that teach amputees but I sure hope someone can help me cause I would like to get a little better. 

I have a busy week this week. Monday is golf and a picnic in the evening with the MN club.  Tuesday I have two card classes and Wednesday I am playing golf again and have another card class.  Thursday I am having lunch with a couple of friends and playing golf and then on Friday I only have golf.  Saturday is golf and lunch with my golfing buddies.  I hope I can make some time to do independent card making because I have a birthday card to get out before Thursday.  So I better close and get going making that birthday card.

Pam

Well I don't have any of my cards yet today, just got done with golf and then lunch at Glenview Country Club, but I received a most beautiful card yesterday from my friend and neighbor, Donna Sobraske.  The card is so pretty that I wanted to put it on my blog so that anyone checking out my blog would see some of the things my talented friends come up with.  Awesome Donna.  I love the card.