Just Because

I am using up my scraps again. I can't help it. I have to find a use for them. This is a pretty basic layout and one that has practically limitless variations.

What are all of you doing with your scraps? And if you say throwing them away I am going to sic JLo on you. She had a fit every time I talk about cleaning stuff out and tossingit. Please note JLo has been getting rid of a LOT of stuff lately. I suspect she is going to pawn a bunch of it off on us in Oct. ROTFL

Tri Oval Cards

These are very simple basic cards. The card on the left with the lavender mesh image by B-Line is a stamped background that is embossed with clear embossing powder. Spellbinders dies were used to create ovals and scalloped ovals on both cards.

For the "With Sympathy" scrapbooking paper was attached to the card front. Note that the edges are sponged with dark brown ink. The embossing powder is an old one that I have had for ages. It has some glitter in it. One of the those flowers has a matching shade of blue (sort of, LOL)

no pictures today

Well I have tried several different ways to download my usual pictures of cards and blogger is having a problem. Maybe later it will be a little happier.

Vegas Baby

We spent that past weekend in Las Vegas for my family reunion. This is a picture of prim and proper Shelly with her two rowdy sister-in-laws. We had so much fun. We laughed and giggled and shopped and shopped and giggled some more the then laughed even harder.

My daughter took this hilarious picture. It is the best one of the whole trip.

Black and White Mountain Lion

This stamp by Whispers, Sugarloaf Productions, may no longer be in production. This company has become Unique Boutique. The eyes are all that have any color. I used a yellow colored pencil.

Tri Oval Thirds Card

I know it is hard to see, but the top third of the card background is white fineline embossing powdered image on cream cardstock. It is very subtle and elegant in person.

The ovals were cut with Spellbinders Nesting ovals. The center of the ovals is scrapbooking paper while the framing scallop oval are card stock.

I used a Martha Stewart border punch for the lavender scallops.

Windmills

While out and about on the back roads of the Nebraska Panhandle I came across this windmill with the old stone building in the background. Combining a black and white photo with a B&J's Art Stamps image.

The photo has the edges sponged with black ink and it is layered onto a crackle background that has been stamped with Soot Black Distressed Ink by Ranger. I heavily misted it after stamping, causing the ink to spread out. After the photo was attached to the crackle background, a border was cut, it was then again layered onto black cardstock and a narrow border was cut.

The card base had the edges sponged with black ink as well.

A Sympathy Card

I just love those scrapbook paper stacks. All the paper coordinate. It makes things so easy!!!!

The oval and the scalloped oval were cut using Nestabilities dies by Spellbinders. The white rose is an Art Impressions image and the phrase is from Stamps Happen, Inc.

Very simple card. I am developing a real passion for those ovals.

Sympathy Card

This is a fairly basic and easy card. The mottled looking background is Polished Stone Technique.
I stamped the "With Sympathy" with VersaMark and embossed with fineline black embossing powder. The stamp is made by Stamps Happen, Inc. I love the font that they used, very elegant yet easy to read. I have no idea who is now making these stamps or even if anyone is.

The image was stamped in the center of the polished stone then carefully cut out as a rectangle. It was then mounted on black cardstock and using the layering rulers a border was cut. Next cut down your original polished stone piece. On this card I made it 3.75 x 5 inches, layered onto black cardstock and cut a narrow border with a layering ruler. Attach the layer phrase to the center of the larger piece, now attach this all to your card base.

The classic flourishes are die cuts by Cuttlebug. On the upper left I folded the die cut over the spine of the card and glued it to the back of the card. On the lower right the die cut is folded over the edge of the card opening and glued to the inside of the card.

Tri Fold Shutter Card

If you receive weekly emails from Split Coast Stampers you will have seen a tutorial to create this card. Here is my version of a wonderful innovative design.

This was a lot of fun to make and I have four more waiting in the studio to be completed.

Down On The Farm

Interesting and hard morning. We had three flash floods this year. This has created an erosion problem on our wheat ground. If you want to make a farmer totally crazy and really really grumpy, just let him see his cropland blowing and him not be able to stop it.

This flooding created silt which is very light powdery soil. It blows easily. Blowing ground is contagious. Ground that would not normally blow will begin to blow if lighter wind driven soils scour it enough. So the cure is to never let the light soil blow.

My husband and I spent the morning pitchforking straw over some of this light soil. Joe is still out there. I ran out of steam and began to overheat. We did some last night when it cooled off and I think he is going to put out one more bale of straw. Then he will lightly disc it in so the straw won't blow away and will stop wind erosion. I think he plans to do about 10 acres all together. This straw will also improve the quaility of the soil by decomposing and adding compost.

There are a lot of things farmers and their families do that are extreme conservation. We don't do them to be "green" or politically correct. We do these thing because it is what farmers have been doing for centuries and it makes sense. Taking care of the land. If you abuse your land you will soon be out of business. Land properly cared for is productive. AND farmers and ranchers are doing this to make a living. It has to be profitable, just like any other business.

Some of the things we do that are darn hard work, but help to protect our land are:
1. Shelly goes out with a shovel and digs up thistles and burns them. Why burn? To get rid of the seeds. Why no chemical? I hate chemicals and everywhere you kill a weed with chemical you are also killing good grass, creating a bare spot for possible erosion.
2. Rocks collected from the fields are put in places that are beginning to show flood damage. We will also place them where the cattle are walking too frequently and creating gullies. Anyplace we want to prevent a new gully from forming we put these rocks.
3. Put in terraces and berms to prevent water erosion and to direct any run off water to the area where it will do the most good.
4. Kill porcupines - a few are good, many kill our pine trees. We do population control. We also control rabbits, coyotes, mountain lions, and wolves. We would also love to be able to thin out the elk, white tail and mule deer and antelope as their numbers are multiplying rapidly. When these animals get too think they become ill and extremely destructive of our crops, pastures and fences. Right now there is a big problem with chronic wasting disease in our elk and deer. Game and Parks solution is to plant mountain lions. How stupid can you get???? Issue more hunting licenses.
5. Rotational grazing of cattle and placing stock tanks so the cattle utilize the pasture more evenly. The rotation requires putting in more fences and the tanks require trenching and laying water lines. Now this all costs money and I have to tell you that there are not many "rich" farmers. Most farmers have a retirement plan, it's called sell your farm.

Just Because

What to do with those scraps? The paper crafter in me can not throw them away. I just can't.

The butterfly is a Quickutz die, with the base being polished stone. Polished Stone is alcohol inks on glossy paper or reinkers and alcohol.

Here are some links to some great tutorials for various way to get that Polished Stone look:

U Stamp 4 Fun - a very good video using reinkers

Stamping TV - exceptional video

Split Coast Stampers - a print version

My preferred method is to use the Ranger Adirondack alcohol inks - to see more of this product click here.

The applicator is nothing more than a block of wood with Velcro glued to one side. The handle is nice but not necessary. You don't have to have the "official" alcohol inks to do the polished stone technique. All you really need are reinkers and alcohol. This is how I started when I first did the Polished Stone Technique.

The flourish is a Boss Kuts die. I spray glittered after I cut it out. I think spraying the paper before cutting might be the way to go. I had to chase it down in my spray box after spraying and do again as the aerosol blew it all over. Had glittered fingers by the time I got done. Oh well, glitter is a form of fiber for crafters. (husbands usually don't think so, but I know this is so, just ask any crafter who uses glitter)

Windmills

Another photo card, this one is a personal favorite. The windmill in the picture still pumps water for cattle. Behind it is an old stone building.

The first settlers to the Nebraska panhandle were very limited as to where the could build their farmsteads. There had to be a dependable easily accessible source of water for the people and the animals. Now you have to remember that in those days they were not able to drill deep wells as we are today. So the preferred homestead was on a creek or by a spring.

The stamped windmill image is done in dark green ink. The stamp is made by B & J's Art Stamps out of Las Cruces, New Mexico. I have been buying their stamps at conventions for a number of years and am a very satisfied customer. Great images and some innovative techniques.

Old Truck Photo Card #2

Love this card, and love this photo. Note that the edges of the photo and card base have been sponged. This not only gives a distresses that edge, it also softens it. Matching sponged ink on the edge of the both the photo and the cardbase also pull the whole design together.

I used a shadow stamping with medium brown ink using Tim Holtz's distressed line stamp. The flouishes are also shadow stamped.

SHADOW STAMPING - ink up your stamp, now stamp it once on scrap paper and then stamp it where you want your image to be. Sometimes I even stamp twice on the scrap paper if I want a really light image.

Critters At Our House

This is Stubby. Poor little mite got drug out of the closet by MacDuff the Scottie. BY THE TAIL! The last half of his tail died and fell off. So he is named Stubby. Stubby has gotten very pouncy and bouncy this past week. We are enjoying her/him a whole bunch! Pouncy bouncy kittens are just so cute and funny.

Now here is Stubby with her/his mother. Mommy's name is Hot Pocket. As rescued bottle baby from last summer. Stubby would not have survived outside on the farmstead. Hot Pocket is a lousy mother. When trapped in the house with her baby she takes care of it, but her spring litter did not survive very long. Stubby is the only baby of this litter that made it.

MacDuff and Stubby are buds now. But only as long as Stubby doesn't start playing with MacDuff's nose or tail. When that happens he retreats to his perch at the window where the kitten can't get to him (yet).

Thru The Window of Time

This was a picture that just had to be snapped. If I am ever back at this abandoned farmstead I may even get brave enough to go into the old house. There were several rooms that I could not safely get close enough to the windows to get some decent pictures.

A vintage type scrapbook paper was used to cover the front of the cardbase. The edges where sponged with a dark brown ink. I used beige ink and a Tim Holtz stamp by Stampers Anonymous to put the "worn look" lines on the scrapbook paper.

A ticket corner punch by Stampin' Up put the finishing touches on the photo and card stock layers.

Old Wringer Washer Photo Card

I just have to look at this old wringer washer and be grateful for when I was born. I have vague memories of this process for cleaning clothes. If that memory is right, washing took all day.

Vintage look scrapbook paper covers the front of the card. The edges are sponged with a dark brown ink. The right edge of the card front is embossed with a cuttlebug border folder. I then put scrap paper over the rest of the card and along the edge of the card. The goal was to make a depressed area that contains the embossing. Now ink up a brayer with dark brown ink and with a light gentle touch brayer over the embossing. You will just kiss the raised portion with the brayer. That little bit of ink makes the embossing pop.

Staircase Photo Card

Peeking in the window of an old house on an isolated abandoned farmstead, this is what I saw. So steep with the red paint still visible. How long since someone had occupied this lovely old house? I don't know, but there must have been years of joy and sorrow lived on this farmstead.

The cardbase has covered with scrapbook paper that has the edges sponged. The Spellbinder's die cut on the left side was cream card stock that was inked with dark brown ink.

The photo has the corners punched with Stampin' Up's ticket punch, then it is layered onto a dark brownie-green cardstock, trimmed to a narrow border using a layering ruler and that layer is punched as well.