Simple Things Sunday - redux

Simple note of gratitude: Cathy H, you're a genius!!! It may not be pretty (the way I got here) but it's done & SIMPLE!!

Simple Things Sunday

So, this last week I found Rebecca Cooper's blog; guess I've been living in a closet too long?? And when I read the tweet this morning about {Simple Things Sunday}, I thought: I can do that. For many years of my life, one of my mantras has been: simple pleasures for simple minds!!

So, I looked at my photos for the week; chose one that gives ME pleasure (though perhaps not so esthetically pleasing for the viewer). Found a Katie Pertiet frame that I liked for it and have posted it below.

I like this photo because it's part of my "one bucket at a time" mode right now. I have a lovely mesquite tree in my front yard. In the late spring/early summer it drops these "pea pod" things in the front yard; ALL OVER the front yard. Because my house sits on a piece of pie shaped lot and the front yard is tiny, my mesquite tree shares its pea pods with my next door neighbor.

I've not been able to pick all the pods up at once; my poor arthritic joints allow me 1 or 2 buckets at a time. So, I LOVE this photo because it shows: another bucket done AND I'm finally getting the yard done; there's probably only 2 or 3 buckets more to be picked up!!!

This, now, however, is where the SIMPLE part of this post ends. I cannot for the life of me figure out HOW to link the Simple Things badge from Rebecca's blog INTO this blog post. I know HOW to put a badge link on the side bar of this blog. But the steps to take to insert it in the blogpost are eluding me.

So gentle reader, if you know what I'm NOT doing and care to enlighten my mind today, I would be very grateful. Otherwise, if you're Rebecca and you're wondering why the badge ISN'T here on the blog post, you're now enlightened. That badge thingie is past simple for me today.

But, the photo makes me happy and with that, I'm satisfied!! Thanks for looking......

Happy Halloween -- Grungy Monday #19 & SSS&S

This week Studio L3's Grungy Monday challenge was taken from Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas 2010, Day 10. At the Simon Says Stamp blog their challenge was to use any Tim Holtz technique. So, this card is a two-fer!! Sweet!! The details on HOW to make this card can be found at Tim Holtz' blog.

Before I list the materials used for this card, I have to share a laugh. The background paper for the tag is some old Basic Grey cardstock from their Black Tie collection. (I love this stuff; I've had some of this paper for years!!!) The actual cardstock is called: Basic Grey. It can be seen in the photo both in the tag and in the background paper behind the tag. Everytime I use this paper and have to explain the name, I'm seriously amused. Basic Grey from Basic Grey!!

This tag let me use "stash" which is ALWAYS nice on the budget; old paper, ribbon, brads. And the die cut jack o'lantern was one of a set cut several years ago for Halloween cards. I used a half-dozen and put the rest away for future use. The little guy "as is" was very bright, but he grunged up nicely with some distress inks and (I think) added some fall flavor to the tag.

Materials: cardstock (Basic Grey); stamps (Happy Halloween, pharmacy label & raven -- Tim Holtz, Stampers Anonymous; also there's some very fine cross-hatching stamped as a background -- Studio G); inks (Ranger distress inks: Pumice Stone, Black Soot, Bundled Sage, Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, embossing ink); embossing powder (Stamp n Stuff midnight black); Sizzix die cut jack o'lantern; Cuttlebug embossing folder (spiderweb); black sheer ribbon (stash); Bazzill Basics (5 mm black mini brads; plastic (left over packaging material from the new surge suppressor); tools (Vagabond, ink blending tool & non-stick craft sheet, japanese screw punch).

I'll add one more comment on making this card. My first piece of plastic was older & thicker; better quality? (Can one judge packaging plastic?) However when it was embossed it got this GHOSTLY white all around the spiderweb embossing pattern. It was so dark as to obscure the stamping and even the embossed raven on the tag. Luckily I had purchased a new surge suppressor yesterday with newer, thinner packing material and when embossed, there was none of the white effect. I'm keeping the other embossed plastic tag; never know what you could put under it to make it work!!

Thanks for looking at my crafting today; fun challenges which my muse enjoyed.

Making Art! Challenge #18

I've admired Wendy Vecchi's stamps and art work for several years. Like a lurker..... from afar.....

Then I joined the EverythingWendyVecchi Yahoo group and this last week won a set of Wendy's stamps!! Then bought some more stamps..... And from there this tale runs..... not into a wall, but a card.....

This challenge asked for: 1) striped paper, 2) rectangle frame, 3) Wendy stamp. I had fun pulling paper out of the old stash: Bazzill cardstock, Die Cuts with a View striped paper, Basic Grey Black Tie (green) & Basics (Ledger-lined).

Wendy's HOMEMADE ART stamp was inked up with Ranger's Walnut Stain distress ink; this was also used to ink the edges of the striped & green papers.

Since my daughter and son-in-law have just made an offer on their first home, I'll put this card in the "stash" with the hopes that it can be mailed for their first house-warming!!!

Thanks for looking.

Grungy Monday #15

After another significant period of neglect, I return to the world of crafting and my blog.

I actually posted a piece for Grungy Monday #14 last weekend, but I used Flickr to post. I just wasn't quite ready to "face" my neglected blog.

I've been wanting to jump into the Grungy Monday challenges for several weeks and am really enjoying the challenge of the different Tim Holtz-inspired techniques.

This week's challenge went back to December, 2007 when Tim gave us this technique:

12 Tags of Christmas 2007, Day 7

I had some natural light through the window in my craft area; I'm not so sure that I'm liking the way this tag photographed.

I used Ranger's Bundled Sage as the background ink and after embossing it with clear emboss powder, I used Forest Moss over the background. The photo seems to have more of a blue cast.

The maple leaf was also given a glossy finish; I painted it with clear rock candy distress paint; then inked the edges with Walnut Stain distress ink. Autumn at the bottom of the tag was also stamped in Walnut Stain ink. I had JUST yesterday received some new Tim Holtz stamps from Simon Says Stamps. Talk about just in time delivery!!!

I can see using this technique again. It was a lot of fun and I LOVED the way the background on this tag looks (though again I don't think the photo does it justice).

Thanks for looking.

testing a picture post

I was trying to do something with a photo in my Flickr stream; it wasn't working. So I'm posting the same photo at the blog to see if I have the same problem.

CSNY (Crosby, Still, Nash & Young for those too young to know the abbreviation) had a lovely little song in 1970, Our House. Those lyrics have been running through my head as I post this.

I have some card photos to post; I've just been tied up with life lately. My apologies to those who get a feedblitz message and expected to see a card/craft posting. I'll get back to blogging real soon (I hope)!!

"retired to Arizona am I" -13/365

So, for the past couple of years I've started out with a 365 project, only to lose momentum by the end of the first week.

What do I shoot?

Did I remember to take a photo?

Why am I doing this to myself?

This year has been less stressful for me; there've been a couple of "last minute" photos. My black lab, Vader, has starred in a couple of those so far.

This photo arrived in my lap on the way to work on Thursday, January 13. As I'm driving to work, I come up behind a Dodge Durango with this license plate. And this just amuses me no end.

The rest of the way down Thunderbird road in Glendale, AZ I hear Yoda's voice saying over and over: "retired to Arizona am I".

Who knew???

2011 - one little word

It's been TOO long since my blog has had any attention; poor blog!! I've been crafting, but just haven't had: time or energy or simple inclination to post. The fall and early winter were challenging for me; my 84-year old mother moved in with me & my health has had moments as well.

But 2011 is a new year and I've come to appreciate how much I enjoy being a part of the online community of crafters/scrapbookers. So, I'm resolving to post at least once a week. (And thanks for not pointing out that I've missed the first week of the year!!)

I've followed Ali Edwards' lead for several years and have chosen one little word (OLW) to be my guide. I've decided that one of the things that I've missed most in my crafting is: scrapbooking. So, my first post for 2011 is my OLW resolution.

Materials: digital template (Cathy Zielske's The Monthly, template CZ_4)

I've really come to accept that I'm a simple scrapbooker. I admire those who can embellish a page (either digitally or hybrid or paper) to within an inch of its life, but I don't have those skills. So, I'm grateful for designers (yeah, that's you Cathy & Ali) who design simple linear templates that focus on the words and photos. All the colors on this digital page come from the photos; maybe toned down a wee bit, but in keeping with a simple design.

So, here's to being active in 2011. As always, thanks for looking.