Spray Box

I have noticed when using all my wonderful spray mists

that the fine mist "travels". (a LOT)

Here is a simple inexpensive solution.

First cover the crafting area where you are going to be

spraying with newspaper.

I suggest that you cover your whole table and maybe

even part of the floor.

A large sturdy box is laid on it's side and

I even laid newspaper in it as I want to use

my box over and over.

Now lay your craft sheet or plastic over the newspaper

inside the box. The box with sides extended seems to contain the

spreading of the spray mists over large areas.

I didn't see any spray mist on my floor.

(and I even mopped it to be sure)

TaDah!!! you have a spray box.

Why the Craft Sheet or Plastic?

These will not absorb the spray mist, allowing

you to fully utiltize every possible drop of your product.

I use half or quarter sheets of card stock to

"smoosh" or wipe up the left over spray mist.

My friend Nancy S. had a wonderful idea.

She started using glossy cardstock.

It doesn't absorb nearly as much as the regular

cardstock, you have the glossy sheen

when you get done and your product goes much further.

Nancy and I had so much fun creating lovely colorful

backgrounds for our stamping projects.

Ten Minute card

Quick and easy. Yet it has a distinctive style.

On a piece of white card stock,

shadow stamp randomly in a light color.

Now stamp over that in a dark colored ink

with your phrase stamp. In this case

it is a stamp that I love to use by Stampendous.

Now tear around your phrase that is stamped over

the shadow stamps. You can see that

I didn't tear too close to the stamping,

this makes it easier to position the brads.

I used the same ink that I stamped the phrase with to sponge

the edges of the tear.

The strip of paper under the phrase is

actually PearlEx and glue technique.

(very glitzy, fun and messy)

The phrase is attached to the PearlEx and glue

strip wtih brads. A round paper clip

was attached to the upper left corner of the

phrase as well. Glue all of this to

a light coordinating paper. Trim to desired size

and then attach that to a darker card base.

Using a little bit of everything

This card was a lot of fun to make.

My materials came from everywhere.

You can see that the "thirds" basic design

is very effective and pleasing to the eye.

The card base is covered with scrapbook paper.

A Fiskars corner scissors was used to round the edges.

The "ribbon" is a Fiskar border punched text weight paper,

under cardstock, with real ribbon as the final layer.

A Spellbinder geometric circle die was used for

the metallic silver circle frame. Vellum was

talced, then stamped with Hero Arts phrase

and embossed with fine line black embossing powder.

THEN position the silver circle frame over the

vellum and glue in place. Trim excess vellum

and attached to card.

The next step - the silk flowers and leaves were placed,

with "jewels" glued to the center of the flowers.

BASIC DESIGN RULE - always use an odd number

This is evident in this card;

the paper ribbon is place 2/3 of the way down the card,

there are three flowers and five leaves

and the silver frame is 1/3 of the way from the left edge.

MacDuff meets a nasty critter

Late last night, when my husband Joe let the dogs out for their last "job" of the day, MacDuff met his first porcupine. YES!!!! he did get a nose full of quills. Luckily he is a cautious dog and none of them were terribly deep. There were only about a dozen and we pulled them immediately before they had a chance or work in further. Needless to say, MacDuff was not a happy doggie last night. He seems to be perfectly fine this morning.

The neighbors cows were mooing all night long. They had weaned the calves. The cows are now calling for their young. They will stay at the place where they saw them last for several days, leaving occasionally for grass and water. Then life goes on for both cow and calf, just in different pastures.

Wild, Wild West 2

Stamps by Queen's Dresser Drawer.

I love them, I love them, I love them.

The horseshoes are a Sizzix die cut. (love them too!)

The background is western gift wrap.

The easiest way to apply gift wrap to the whole

front of a card - one straight edge, line that up

with the top of the card,

turn card over and used remaining three

edges a guides, using a scissors to trim.

The images are stamped with VeraMark,

embossed with fineline black embossing powder

and trimmed to the desired size.

The edges are then distressed (a lot) and

sponged with black dye ink to give that burned look.

The paper rickrack was made with my Creat-A-Cut

paper cutter.

Wild, Wild West

Since I live on a ranch in western Nebraska

it is no big surprise that I have a special place

in my heart for western stamps and of course

western style cards.

The stamp on this card is by Sutter Enterprises. She

has some fantastic cowboy and cattle stamps.

A lot of the western cards that I make

are on a parchment cardbase. It just goes well

with the theme. The mottled looking

third layer from the top is actually wallpaper.

Wallpaper is a great resource for card makers.

Best Buds

Our boys, Diesel a standard Pomeranian

and MacDuff a Scottish Terrier, were intently

watching "dad" working in the yard.

I simply could not resist and took this very adorable

picture, which of course I had to make into

a card to send to our friends and family.

Scrapbook paper covers the card base.

The letters are die cut from a Cuttlebug alphabet

and the black dots are a large hand punch.

Morning Walk

MacDuff, one of the morning "walkers".

My husband and I usually take short walk in the mornings. Short = 1.5 miles.

This morning we walked an electric fence that needed to be checked.

Deer have a habit of knocking them down during the night, until they

get used to where the new fence is.

Electric fence is one wire with temporary light weight metal posts that is put up to allow cattle access to fields that they would not normally graze. In this case it is wheat stubble that has volunteer wheat growing in the stubble. This is extremely yummy cow candy. They and their calves get very fat and sleek from this type of feed.

It was a cold still morning of 28. The dogs just loved the walk. Since it was not the usual walk, there were lots of new smells and adventures. Be assured that every weed and dirt clod in the first 100 yards is well marked now. LOL

We have been noticing this year that there are not nearly as many hawks and eagles in evidence. We know it is from the ten year drought. There is just not enough prey available for them, so they have moved on.

Yesterday we heard the geese honkng their way south. My husband has seen a large group of Sandhills Cranes foraging in one of the neighbors harvested corn fields. We are still hearing a few bull elk bugle in the evenings and early morning. Ahhh, I love this land and the life we have.

Sunrises and Sunsets

The area where I live has some absolutely stunning

sunrises and sunsets.

I have taken pictures and when I print those pictures,

they don't look real.

Below are my very pathetic attempts

at catching the beauty of what God created for our pleasure.

Both cards started with plain white cardstock.

The colors were sponged in.

Then the entire card front was dusted with talc, image inked with

VersaMark and fineline black embossing powder applied.

Paper Quilting Tutorial

This quilting is done with scraps from

polished stone projects.

1. Glue polished stone scraps to cardstock.

2. Cut black frame using Spellbinders geometric die.

3. Glue frame to polished stone scrap paper quilting.

4. Using a straight edge and layering ruler,

cut around outside of frame.

5. Glue to black paper and cut with deckle

decorative scissors.

6. Stamp phrase on card.

7. Glue on paper quilited layers.

Fall Is In The Air

It's a bit nippy in the mornings now.

Time for all those fall chores AND fall cards.

While I am not a Halloween fan, I do

love fall with all its' soft subtle colors,

the change of the season

and a slower pace after the insanity of summer.

These cards are a combination of paper and stamps.

Most of the cards are in the "thirds" format.

1/3 color or pattern on the top or bottom

and 2/3 coordinating color or pattern on what remains.

A band of something is used to cover the seam.

Something is layers of paper, ribbon, etc - just

about anything that you can get to stick to

paper that will cover the seam between the 1/3 and 2/3.

This format of "thirds" can be applied in the landscape

or portrait positioning of the card.

The colored band on the above card

was made with Distressed Inks.

The edges are sponged in dark brown,

the band was then talced to avoid strays,

stamped with VersaMark, embossed

with fineline copper.

The papers are Debbie Mumm's

Harvest and Holiday 6.5x5 stack.

Made for Joann's by DCWV.

The colors and glitter are just so yummy.

The whole right side of the above card

is a background made with Distressed Inks.

AND there is a variation of the "thirds" format.

If you look closely you will see the

skeleton leaves embossed in gold on the

bottom 2/3 of the above card.