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Best Day

Best Day published on 3 Comments on Best Day

I think the “hardest” part about going to Stamping Away (other than leaving) is getting started on stamping there. So many products, so much inspiration, so many talented stampers…oh my! So when it came to my first project I decided to go with what I know. A bit of Copic coloring on an image that wasn’t overly complicated. I looked through some sets and immediately gravitated to this Just Vines stamp by The Stamp Market.

Instead of just the yellow greens, I decided to combine them with my BG family for something a bit unexpected. So I sat for quite a while coloring and listening to the chatter and admiring the work others were doing and….it was perfect! I didn’t have a particular plan for the panel when I was working on it but quickly realized that it might be nice for a birthday card for my husband. So that became my mission. After a few starts (and fails) I finally just kept it simple. I found this sentiment from the For My Bestie set. A Pink and Main Sentiment Strip die was just perfect for the sentiment and I added on a few sequins to finish.

I love the overall effect of the coloring here and, though it took a bit, it was the perfect “warm up” for my crafting weekend. And it made me happy to make too! I hope you get a bit of time for some “just because” crafting this week. I’m trying to make sure it becomes a bigger part of my creative time. Thanks for stopping in today. See you soon!

Rainbow of Happiness

Rainbow of Happiness published on 2 Comments on Rainbow of Happiness

I mentioned on Wednesday that I had the pleasure of attending a crafty retreat called Stamping Away. It is an event coordinated by two of the kindest women, Laurie Willison and Amy Kolling. It is held at the Whatever Craft House in Newton, KS and it is a magical gathering of friends. The house itself it bright and happy and rainbow themed. So you just need to be ready for me to be rainbowing all the things for a while! I have a double inspiration for today’s card.

One of the funniest parts of the weekend event is a White Elephant gift exchange. Standard rules where you can steal from another and wow, are those women vicious, lol! No, not really. But the stealing is hilarious and the laugh until your sides hurt joy is the kind of happy we all need in our lives. I asked another amazingly talented crafted to help me with my gift for the exchange and she delivered more than I could have hoped! Her name is Melissa Bickford of Honey and Pine Signs. I told her that I wanted a rainbow sign for the exchange and she created a custom one for me!

This is what she created (this is also her store photo). WOW!! I fell in love with it immediately. Because she came up with multiple designs, I also fell in love with another one for my own stamp room.

Isn’t it wonderful?! Well, needless to day I had rainbow inspiration going into my weekend so I was super happy to find a wonderful die set from The Stamp Market called Rainbow Stripes Die. I cut it out from watercolor paper and then inked it with Distress Inks in rainbow colors. So pretty! So fun! I added some Tumbled Glass Oxide Ink behind the rainbow to help it pop. Then I found this sentiment from SugarPea Designs called Whatever the Weather and it was PERFECT! I stamped it in Catherine Pooler Twilight Ink.

This card makes me SOOOO happy! I love it. I love where I made it. I love all the things! I hope you do too!

Well, that is it for today. I’ll be sharing lots more cards over the next few weeks. Thanks for stopping by today. And if you go shop with Melissa, tell her I sent you! I’m just so grateful for her awesomeness! See you soon.

Crafty Friends Blog Hop – The Stamp Market

Crafty Friends Blog Hop – The Stamp Market published on 10 Comments on Crafty Friends Blog Hop – The Stamp Market

Welcome to the November blog hop with my Crafty Friends, my second of two posts today! This month we are excited to bring you inspiration from The Stamp Market. I have only recently discovered this company and I’ll tell you what, I LOVE their products. They have a clean, fresh vibe that I can’t resist.

So I fell in love with the Leaves Cover Die the second I saw it. And this is why! Just look at what you can do. I cut the leaves out of watercolor paper and then simply added color. I was playing with fall colors earlier in the month for a background and decided I needed to stretch the idea a bit. I used my Daniel Smith watercolors in yellows, oranges and red and just kept adding paint until it was right. I cut the sentiment out of more watercolor paper with the Lots of Leaves Dies and added the same colors to it. In order to help it pop a bit, I added another die cut of the sentiment underneath.

Here you can see the watercolored panel that I cut down to use inside the card. It is uncolored near the top and there is plenty of room for a note on the lighter parts. As we approach Thanksgiving, this card simply reflects all that is nice about fall in Virginia.

As with previous months, we have a discount that is being offered via our hop. Click on the graphic for a link right to The Stamp Market. Note that there are some restrictions but there is also a sale through November 22nd on the new Color Crush line using code COLORCRUSH20.

Now on to the rest of the hop. I’m thrilled to send you to Amy Kolling, who is next in the rotation. And here is the list in case you get lost along the way.

I hope that you love this month’s inspiration as much as we love sharing it. Make sure to leave us a note to tell us what you think. Let me know if there is a company you’d like to see us collaborate with in the future too!

Eighteen Years

Eighteen Years published on 14 Comments on Eighteen Years

I am here today with a card for Freshly Made Sketches, but even more with a look back. It has been a few years since I shared a 9/11 tribute. Somewhat because I don’t want it to feel forced. Last year, there was a lot of personal sadness happening and I just could not handle more. But this year, I felt compelled to create and share in honor of those lost.

Because it has been a while, and because I mostly don’t share about my “day job” here, I’ll clarify for those who are newer to the blog. I am a pilot for United Airlines. I currently fly an Airbus 319/320 but on 9/11/2001 I flew a B757. On that day. From Providence, RI to Chicago O’Hare. I have shared stories over the years if you are interested: 9th Anniversary, 10th Anniversary, 11th Anniversary, 12th Anniversary, 13th Anniversary, 14th Anniversary, 15th Anniversary.

As time goes by, I thought that the memories would ease a bit. I’m sure for all of us, we have found that isn’t really true with this particular event. But as I was talking with my now 16 year old son last night, and sharing my experiences of that day, there are so many things that still stand out as if it was yesterday. The fear, the confusion, yes. But really the strongest part is the coming together of people. All of us. I miss that. I tried explaining it to my boys. I feel like in trying to control our fear we have lost a bit of what makes us special. So many people worldwide simply stopped and took care of each other. They looked to neighbors and people that they had never met and found a way to come together. I reflect on flying that day and the feeling of that glorious sky and the darkness that came after. And I’m grateful for the light that returned because of love and kindness.

As in previous years, my color scheme seems to remain the same. Blue and gray (silver). The colors of legacy United Airlines. But as with the new United, the colors are a bit updated. A nod to our history but with an eye to our future too. Please know that there no matter how many years go by, the pilots of United do not forget. Our brothers, our sisters, our friends, our family, the passengers entrusted to our care….all were taken. We work every day to honor them. Today especially.

I “borrowed” this photo from a friend and Captain I fly with. The wings and jackets representing the crews of United and American Airlines. My friend, Brian, works daily protecting the legacies of the pilots of United lost that day. He and their loved ones bring light to the darkness. It is an amazing gift.

So today, as in the past, I hope for more of that. Kindness and love are the only solution to the tragedy brought by hate. I hope that today, and on other days, we give each other a little grace and work to find the light.

In memory of:

United 93:  Jason Dahl, LeRoy Homer, Lorraine Bay, Sandra Bradshaw, Wanda Green, CeeCee Lyles, Deborah Welsh

United 175:  Victor Saracini, Michael Horrocks, Robert Fangman, Amy Jarret, Amy King, Kathryn Laborie, Alfred Marchand, Michael Tarrou, Alicia Titus

American 11:  John Ogonowski, Thomas McGuinness, Barbara Arestegui, Jeffrey Collman, Sara Low, Karen Martin, Kathleen Nicosia, Betty Ong, Jean D. Roger, Dianne Snyder, Amy Sweeney

American 77:  Charles Burlingame III, David Charlebois, Michele Heidenberger, Jennifer Lewis, Kenneth Lewis, Renee May

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