One Layer Wednesday 94 ~ SiZe; Simon Says ... Sporty or Patriotic

Friday For Sure,

I'm still mixing up the days of the week this week.  I guess it makes sense if you start off on the wrong feet on Monday.

Things happened around here, but I still managed a quick little card.  And I do mean little!  The fun Cheryl of A Paperie Journey is hosting this week's OLW (One Layer Wednesday).  Cheryl is challenging us to make a one-layer card that is NOT the usual A2 size card (4.25 x 5.5).  So I followed her lead and made an itty-bitty 3 x 3 note card.

I decided to make my note card in the patriotic colors of red, white, and blue and join in the challenge at Simons Says as well.

Here tis:

I punched the star out of the white card and put a blue star on the inside so when the card is closed you see the blue heart.  Here it is next to a "reg" sized card:

It's so wee.

I hope that made sense.  Actually, now that I think about it, is it patriotic, other than the red, white, and blue?  I intend to stamp Happy 4th of July on the inside and use it as a thank you note for our friends who host an annual BBQ.  I haven't played with Simon much, so I'm not sure if I'll be unhinged.

~~~

When I was finishing up my last post, Mr. Blogger popped up and said I was out of lifetime memory - don't I know it!!!  But then he showed me another page wherein I could buy more memory - would that that were true!!!  But then he also said on the same page that I'd only used 32% of my memory - well, which is it?

I then spent an hour trying to go where Mr. Blogger told me to go to find out where my storage was and how to clean it up.  Only there was no "there" there.  If I went there, he promised, I would find a left navigational bar.  Uh huh, not true.  Liar.

So then I wanted to speak with one of Mr. Blogger's mini-onions.  Not personally, of course, how silly.  Another hour passed while I tried to find a contact link or email.  I finally found a 2008 article that said I could email, support@google.com  Well, duh, why didn't I think of that?  Don't click on that!!  I don't know how to make it NOT hyperlink, and I have no more hyper meds.  I took them all.  I emailed a rather lengthy (what else!) missive.  It popped right back and started out with, "hahahahaha."  Okay, no it didn't, but it might as well have.  It said no one lived there, please don't write again.  If you need help go here, and it gave me a link.

Oh, thank GOD, I said.  I clicked on it.  It took me right back to where I had been an hour before.  I stabbed myself in the neck.

When the Mister came home, I told him what happened.  He got on his white horse and took a look.  It's not easy to work on a computer from the top of a white horse.  Mister did all the things I had already done.  One thing led to another and we had quite a row.  Not a row of corn or soybeans, but a dust up, a spat.  He spat at me and I spat right back.

What you have to understand is that the Mister and I rarely spat.  We've only had maybe five spits in decades.  We made up for it last night.  I finally threw myself on the futon and shut up.  Trust me, that's not always a good thing.

He clicked around a bit more and then he said, in a really tiny voice,

Oh.

I see what you mean.

Seriously?  I'm drenched in sweat, purple in the face, my pacemaker is clacking along for all it's worth, and you calmly say,

Oh.

I see what you mean.

WHAT??!! 

Does anyone else think it is a miracle that there aren't more spousicides in the world? Thank you.  I'm just saying.

And Mr. Blogger better not show his face around here either if he knows what's good for him.

Now, seriously, I still don't know why I got that message, and how to override it if it happens again, or where to find a page that explains my storage.  Some of you have been blogging ages longer than I have, so if you could help, I would appreciate it.  Do you pay money each month to have more gibbles and bits of memory?  HELP!

Okay, that's it.  That's all I got about that.  I'm all worked up again just telling you about it.

Real quick, I do have an update on my hurtin' sister, Donna.  She did need to have surgery this morning on her torn potato cup in her shoulder.  Thank you for all your positive thoughts!  Everything went well and my niece was able to get there and be with her.  I may go in a few weeks if she still needs help.  I know from the Mister's shoulder surgery that the recovery is a bee hatch.  Please send her thoughts of healing and strength.  Thank you.

Enjoy!   Have a happy weekend.  We are to see the wizar kids tomorrow, so I'll talk to you on Sunday.  As always, thank you for stopping by to visit.  Special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower or leave a comment!

Paper:  PTI white; SU night of navy

Stamp:  Hero Arts, "Sandra's Letter

  Background H3308

Ink:  SU real red, night of navy

Punch:  EK star

A Trilogy. Freshly Made Sketches #41; Addicted to Stamps ~ Bingo Addict #1; Dragon Flies

First, as I mentioned earlier this week, I'd like to take a moment this Thursday to let the people affected by the fires and floods know that they are in my thoughts and prayers.  Please, God, if you could put a word in Mother Nature's ear to move the rain from Florida to Colorado, that would be very much appreciated.  I know.  She's a force to be reckoned with and not easily swayed.  Just try anyway.  You the Man.  Thanks.

Second, I would like to take a moment to say Rest In Peace to the hysterically funny and extraordinarily talented Academy-Award winning writer and director, Nora Ephron.  Among her many great quotes:

"When your children are teenagers, it's important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you," from "I Feel Bad About My Neck." 

I feel bad about her dying so young.  If you think that dying at age 71 is not dying young, then you haven't reached your sixties.

Third, this blog a tribute to Dragon Flies.  As much as I love Butter Flies, I love Dragon Flies.  Here in northern California, Dragon Flies only appear in the garden when the temperature is over 95 degrees.  They only stay however many days the heatwave lasts, and then they disappear.  While they are here, I try to capture them on film.

I made two cards, for two different challenges, out of a couple of my photos.  These are not stickeroos like my card the other day, these are real photos I took in the back yard.

Both cards were made ala the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.  This time the sketch is by the amazing Cindy.

Here are my cards:

This second card meets the criteria of the new Addicted To Stamps challenge.  This week the challenge is Bingo Addict Challenge #1:

My card sentiment is stamped, embossed, and blue.  BINGO!!

Isn't that background paper the best representation of the fragility of the Dragon Fly?!  I didn't make it, BTW.  I have no idea who did.  I've had it in my stash of handmade papers for years and I'm excited to finally use it.

I hope you will be able to click over to these two wonderful challenges and join in the fun!!

I was going to insert some more photos here, but I'm "out of photo space," whatever that means, so I'll add them to My Photos page (tab at the top) if anyone is interested.  I think they're pretty cool, if you like Dragon Flies.  I was going to do that anyways, assuming Bob The Blogger is okay with that.

Today I hope you'll join me in welcoming and visiting my new follower, Amanda, of Panda's Paper Playtime.  Welcome, Amanda!

Enjoy!   As always, thank you for stopping by to visit.   Special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower or leave a comment!

Paper:  Copper metallic, unknown;
  Dragonfly mulberry, unknown
  SU very vanilla, pacific point
Stamp:  Hero Arts A 1308
Ink:  Embossing powder:
  Blue Moire, Old Town Crafts
  Detail copper, Stampa Rosa
Corner chomper
Photo:  djkardkreations

WOYWW 160 ~ All About The Grands

Welcome to what's on my desk for this What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday, number 160, hosted by the very funny Julia Dunnit. 

My desk this week (strictly for your entertainment, I hope) is covered with . . . 

. . . well, let me start at the beginning.  Earlier this year, my DDIL, Rachel, bought us a "Don't Forget" notepad, shaped so you could hang your note on a door knob, say, the front door, so that on your way out the door you would see it and be reminded of whatever it was you didn't want to forget.  Follow?  (Yes, more than once we arrived at their house empty-handed of the thing we were supposed to bring.  Ahem.)

The pad sat on the kitchen counter and was used many times.  Then one day the twins found it.  Now that they can read and write (used loosely, but then who am I to talk?), they thought this was the funnest thing ever.  They split up the pad and each armed with a pencil they went giggling off to make up "Do Not Forget" notes for us.

The notes are precious and priceless and written in the way only 7-year-old boys could write them.  In all of them you can "hear" the voice of the adults in their lives, as they thought up things they thought we would write ourselves.  It's quite telling to see how much kids really do listen, always they are listening.  They may not be obedient, but they are always listening.

I'll type the words under, so you don't have to strain your eyeballs.

Do not fede dog, peple food.  Thank you.

~~~

. . . eny wallits or mony.  Thank you.

. . . eny coats in the closit.  Thank you.

~~~

... to water plans.  Thank you.

. . . bring plans in wen in cold.  Thank you.

~~~

. . . beer in the cooler.  Thank you.

~~~

Do not make a mess.  Thank you.

~~~

Of course, as self-respecting little boys, they had to get scatalogical!

Do not leave any poop in the toilet.  Thank you.

Do not pee (on) the toylit sete.  Thank you.

Do not fart in here.

(Lets face it, two out of three of those things apply no matter what age!)

~~~

They also left a note especially for me, hanging from the scissor board in the Playhouse, echoing what they've heard from me:

. . . to close the ingc pads.

~~~

Good little listeners and note makers they are.  And such good manners, almost always writing thank you.  Sorry this is so long, but I really wanted to share these with my WOYWW friends and others, so thank you for "listening!"  (There were lots more I didn't show you, so it coulda been worse!)

Please also help me welcome Marianne of MARvelous Cards who has joined as a follower, and please check out her marvelous cards!  Thank you, Marianne! 

Enjoy!   As always, thank you for stopping by to visit.   Special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower or leave a comment!

Dynamic Duos #8 ~ Mono Chrome Colors

Happy Tuesday!

I simple adore the colors in this week's Dynamic Duos challenge, river rock and always artichoke:

Mmm-mmm, just lushcabob!  So pretty, in fact, that I had to sit and spin around in my desk chair for several minutes, trying to narrow down all the ways these colors would work.  Then I got dizzy and had to have a bicarbonate of soda.  While I was in the kitchen, I decided to make an Egg Bake* for dinner:

But that's not why you called.  When that was done, I went back to my Playhouse and discovered that the majic mojo mist had settled and I was able to come up with this:

It looks like it is turned the wrong-way-peach-fuzz, but landscape is how I made it with the sentiment on its side.  (Too much bicarbonate?)  There is no reason it couldn't work the other way, too.  I mean, I don't think it would interfere with the balance of the universe or anything, but I'm not totally sure.

Anyhoo, I couldn't believe how perfect that flower stickeroo from Penny Black went with the DD colors!  And I'm thinking extra credit for using the sentiment "always," seeing as how one of the colors is "always" artichoke.  No?  Too obviously teacher's petish?  Oh kay.

I gotta tell you, there is some kind of rave happening in the mosh pit over here in the Playhouse!  I'm so tickled that three new crafters have joined us!!  Please welcome and check out the fantastic sites of Jules from Always With a Heart (and you can take that literally!), and Avril of Mrs. B's Crafting Addiction, and Suze Bain of Can't Stop Crafting!  Rock the stamps, ladies, we are happy you came!  Please help yourself to a hot toddy and lemon cake!

Enjoy!   As always, thank you for stopping by to visit.   Special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower or leave a comment!

Paper:  SU white, river rock, and

  always artichoke; Stampland glossy

Stamp:  SU unknown set

Ink:  SU always artichoke

Image:  Penny Black Stickeroo,

  In-Bloom 10-208

Baby pearls

*If you'd like the recipe, email me

at darnell.knauss@gmail.com

Less Is More Week 73 Recipe and Pixie's Crafty Snippets Challenge 26

Hope you're having a magnanimouse Monday!

For some reason I keep thinking it's Tuesday.  Do you ever have that happen?  Lord knows the days fly by fast enough without doing that!

Today I made a card for the uber fun challenge Less Is More, hosted by the delightful ladies, Chrissie and Mandi.  This week the theme is "Recipe" and the ladies want us to use up some of our scraps and engage in paper piecing.

Since using up one's scraps or "snippets" is the idea behind the Snippets Challenge over at Pixie's Crafty Workshop, I'm also linking my card there.

It wasn't long ago that I participated in my very first paper-piecing challenge here.  It may have been my very first challenge anywhere, period.  I thought at first they were asking for "paper pieRcing," which I had done before to a card, however paper pie(no r)cing was brand new to me.  Well, that started something, by golly, because I've paper pieced many times since and have found that I find it very soothing.  Not surprising, really, because I always liked paper dolls and cutting out little pieces of furniture for make-believe interior decorating.

This is my paper-pieced piece:

This card represents the time me and the Mister were on a cross-county jaunt to see the Only Son Who Moved Far Away.  Because it was a long jaunt, it necessitated a couple of overnight stays in inexpensive motels.  The night we stayed in Moab, Utah, it was horribly hot.  Since our motel didn't have a pool, we walked across the street to use the one at the Hoity-Toity Inn.  We were quite shocked and hurt to find we didn't meet their recidulous dress code standards.  I'm sorry now that the police had to be called, but at the time it seemed we had a principle to stand on.  We gave up when they showed us the above picture from their security video.

I'm so delighted to welcome my new follower Louise!  She is very brand new blogger and has darling cards you should check out at Louise Sharp.  Thank you, Louise!

Enjoy!   As always, thank you for stopping by to visit.   Special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower or leave a comment!

Paper:  PTI white; various DP
Stamps:  Art Impressions K-1605
  and I-1240
Ink:  Memento tuxedo black
  Prismacolor pencils

One Layer Wednesday ~ In the Kitchen! Part Deux!

Good Sunday Morning!

First, my thoughts are with those of you dealing with storms, flooding, and raging fires!  The weather couldn't be more perfect here, and I don't take it for granite.

As you may know, I wasn't all that keen on my entry for the beloved One Layer Wednesday challenge this week.  Our hostess with the mostess, Heather Telford, presented us with the super fun idea of making a one-layer card inspired by something in our kitchens.  I took another look around and made another card, which this time I like a lot.

Mister, who usually bounces through life with a happy disposition, can often be heard saying, "Life is GOOD!"  And he means it with all his heart.  As a result, he received this darling mug:

Now I don't have a stamp that says "Life is Good."  I could have typed it on the computer, or stolen the image and gone to jail  (it does appear to be registered and, thus, protected).  I didn't even bother asking Mrs. Google for the image, 'cause it would have been too tempting.

Instead I used a sentiment stamp that I think says pretty much the same thing, "Happiness Always."  I embossed it in white onto navy cardstock and then went to work with my Cuttlebooger and circles and tape:

And ended up with this card.  The circles all nest into each other and then into the circle hole in the cardstock so that it ends up a one-layer card:

And inside is this saying, which replimimics the other side of the mug, which I did type on the computer:

"Do what you like,

Like what you do."

How wonderful it would be if everyone could be blessed with the ability and judgment to be able to live that reality.  Enjoy!   As always, thank you for stopping by to visit.   Special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower or leave a comment!

Paper:  PTI white; SU night of navy;

  PTI orange zest

Stamp:  Unknown set, PTI?

Ink:  Imprintz white embossing powder

Cuttlebug and nesties

Mojo Monday 246 and CAS-ual Fridays (CFC58) Pretty in Pink!

Welcome on this Saturday!

This will be a quickie 'cause it's a glorious day in the neighborhood where I am and we'll soon be enjoying cocktail hour on the backyard patio . . .

I made a card for Mojo Monday sketch 246:

The Marvy Mary Fish designed the sketch.  Isn't it great?  For some reason, it reminds me of a bright red British telephone booth.  Raise your hand if you're old enough to remember telephone booths.  Okay, good mix of do and don't.

I'm also playing with another favorite, CAS-ual Fridays, where this time the challenge is to create something "Pretty in Pink!"  The fab sponsor offering a $20 gift certificate to this week's winner is:

And this is my pinklet card:

Okay, gotta run!  Well, scoot, anyway.  Earlier today I went to the Apple store to buy an arm band for my Ipod Nano to use when I go to Curves and (when pigs fly) ride my bike.  When I walked in and asked the young man where to look, he just stared at me for a few seconds.  You could see his youthful brain couldn't quite connect the doughy grand-mama standing in front of him with the words "arm band for my Nano."  When he snapped out of it and turned his back to lead the way, I sniggered a bit. 

Enjoy!  I hope you're rockin' the tunes, or the sunny weather, or whatever floats your parade!  As always, thank you for stopping by to visit.  Special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower or leave a comment!

Paper:  PTI Kraft and SU vanilla

Stamps:  All old unmarked wooden

Ink:  PTI hibiscus burst and raspberry fizz

  Prismacolor pencils; Gelly Roll pink star

Ribbon:  PTI raspberry fizz

Pop dots

One Layer Wednesday 93 In the Kitchen! and SCS and Simon Says Stamp, "Anything But A Card"

I hope you are having a fabtastic Friday!

I made a card for one of my all-time favorite challenges, One Layer Wednesday.  The Outstanding Originator is Susan Raihala and her site is here.  The links to the four amazing hostesses of this challenge can always be found on the side bar of her site.

This week our magnificent hostess is Heather Telford who has come up with a very original idea!  At least it is to me.  We are to look around our kitchens for inspiration.  I had so many inspirations, I was a little dizzy, a not uncommon feeling.   I decided to go with the design on the holder of my kitchen shears (not to be used for anything other than food under penalty of death). 

I first tried to whatdyacallit where you put a piece of paper over the image and then rub a pencil on it to bring up the design.  Remember we did that in elementary school?  But that would only work on copier paper which I would then have to glue to cardstock and that would make it more than one layer and that would be naughty.  So I drew it, not very well.  For the indentations, I used a small leaf stamp from SU, because I don't have a teeny-tiny raindroppy stamp.

I colored it too literally.  Or rather I should say, I wish I had used some imagination and made it brightly colored.  It's doing nothing for me colored as it is, but we've all been in this kafuffle where we spend a LOT of time on a card and come away feeling blech about it, but golly chips, we are going to go ahead and show it to the world anyhoo because we spent a LOT of time on it, pride be hanged.

Isn't that a great idea for a challenge though?  You should look around your kitchen, kick it up, and join in!

~~~

While I was at it, it occurred to me that you might like to see how I have used stamps to create decor in my home.  After a search, I even found a challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers for this very thing!  And, a quick edit, as now I also see that Simon Says Stamp has an "Anything BUT a Card" challenge going on! 

Here is a picture of my living room.  Sorry, I had to take it with the shades drawn because of the glare.  (She's not a bad neighbor and I don't know what I did to tick her off, but seriously, doesn't she have anything better to do than stand there and glare at me?)

And here is a close-up of the framed pictures:

I got the frames at IKEA.  The stamps are from the Stampin' Up! set, "Reverse Prints," which I stamped onto Old Olive cardstock.  I love them so much.

I'm delighted to welcome Mrs. Harry as a new follower!  Her brand-new blog is called De-Stressing My Life and she makes really cute cards!

Enjoy!   As always, thank you for stopping by to visit. Special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower or leave a comment!

Paper:  PTI white
Ink:  Marvy black marker; and
  Memento desert sand

Freshly Made Sketches #40; Pixie's Crafty Workshop Snippets Challenge #25; and The Play Date Cafe Color Splash

How's Thursday treating you?

Today my card was made with three challenges in mind and one sister.  In no particular order.  Wait, in alpha order:

Freshly Made Sketches is always a great sketch challenge.  This week the sketch was designed by the inestimable artist, Lesley, and her sketch is:

(Okay, first, let's please have a round of applause for me because I flipped that sketch, baby, my first time evah!!  Thank you.  I'm so proud!)

Pixie's Crafty Workshop Snippets Challenge #25.  This challenge is making me remember to USE my Leftover Landfill of bits and pieces!

The Play Date Cafe has a "Color Splash" (and a design call - check it!), thus:

This week, we are asking you to create using

Black ... White ... Blue

So what happened was, I knew I wanted to make a card this week using the sketch, but what card I did not know until I saw the Color Splash colors. 

As it turns out, I was going to tell you today anyway about my Iowa sister, Donna - and now I've made a card for her as well.  You see, Donna fell into a creek (and I'm not even kidding, she IS my sister!) which was hysterically funny because her butt plopped right in the water!  Then it just as quickly was not funny when it became apparent that she had badly hurt her right shoulder.  (The MRI shows several torn muscles and we find out on Monday if she will need surgery.  Now Donna is what you'd call a Real Trooper, but if she does need surgery, I may be flying out to Iowa to help her out for a bit.)

Some of you may remember that I took a fall a couple of weeks ago and that after I stopped rolling and landed on my back, for some inexspitable reason, I straightened my legs so my feet were up in the air, like a dead cow.  You guessed it!  Donna tells me she did the exact same thing!  Whoa!

So when I saw the colors of the PDCC, of course I saw them as black and blue.  I thought of our falls, which left us black and blue, and of our tendency to imitate dead cows after we fall.  Now what stamp would portray that effectively?  Well, of course:  "Toby is TWO," by the extraordinary artist Mo Manning!

I hope that Mo will forgive the artistic license I took when I altered her image and gave Toby paper-pieced boobs and a scarf so that now he looks just like my sister (or me)!!

Thanks for sitting through that, if you did.  Thankfully, it takes less time to read it than it did to type it!  And thank you for any positive vibes you float off to Donna!

It's time once again to introduce you to some new visitors in the auditorium.  Please join me in welcoming the very talented Tracey McNeely of In My Creative Opinion and Mary H. of Carolina Cards by Mary H.  Thank you so much for joining us!

Enjoy!   As always, thank you for stopping by to visit.   Special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower or leave a comment!

(Oh, real quick, I'm sorry to tell you that no one won the $10,000 prize I was planning to give out yesterday to the first person who made a crack comment about me being married to a relative of the frankfurter.)

Paper:  PTI white; SU DSP blue;
  unknown houndstooth; Stampland glossy
Stamps:  Mo Manning's "Toby is Two" MO104;
  Hero Arts "Life is Not Perfect" CL387
Ink:  Memento tuxedo black; Marvy markers
Crystal Stickers black beads; pop dots

WOYWW 159 and The Paper Players 100th Challenge Celebration!

Welcome WOYWWers and All Others!

I'm with Julia about these Tuesday evening shots fighting the low-setting sun rays, as you can clearly see.  Another week of Wednesday morning busyness for me, so I'm posting tonight.

On my desk is the d'Tritus from making my card, also for this post.  I need to wash my windows.

Please join me and hundreds of other crafters at Julia's What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday weekly awesome Snoop Challenge.  It's a kick in the ashcan!  Truly.

My card is for a couple three things.  Okay, just a couple.  I wanted to get a start on making 4th of July cards, because it's a big holiday in this family.  Mister's cousin Frank, on his father's side, Frank's father, I mean, was one of the original Furter families, largely of Clifton, Mass.  There is a direct line all the way to the first catered lunch at the first fireworks over the harbor.

Also, I wanted to join in the big party over at The Paper Players where they are celebrating their 100th challenge.  I should have made and posted this card with my 100th follower celebration, but that synapse connection didn't spark at the time.  The celebration challenge is to pick any challenge and play; check it out!  So I picked recent challenge #98, Jaydee's Theme Challenge, which was summertime.

You can't get more summertime in America then the 4th of July!  Here's my card.  As I mentioned, the lighting wasn't very good.  By the time I got outside with it, the sun had set itself all the way down in its ocean chair.  It's my first time playing in this fun challenge and I hope to do it more often!

I also took a picture of my card inside the Playhouse in a patch of sunlight just to see if that would work and it turned out kinda kewl.

Doesn't that look like it might have been taken through the bars of a jail cell?  Which makes the "Freedom" message all the more poignant?  I think so anyway.  I could see that on a poster somewhere, or a Coffee Table Book about America.  I'm quite imaginative.

Enjoy!   As always, thank you for stopping by to visit.   Special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower or leave a comment!

Paper:  PTI white; unknown navy
  star paper
Stamps:  Stampabilities, "God Bless America"
  FR1017; Art Impressions, "Freedom" I-2184;
  Stripe, unmarked stamp
Ink:  SU real red and night of navy
Ribbon: Richard's Dollar Bin Spool O' Ribbon
Sparkly star embellies, unknown