The Hunt is ON!

After months of agonizing and realizing my Moose (the horse I'd had for 15 years) was starting to show his age and my kind of riding was hard on him, my husband and I made the painful decision it was time for him to find a new home. Now IF we had more acres and were allowed to have more horses where we are, Moose would have been retired with us. He was the most naturally talented horse I've ever owned. If I had sold him after the year I showed him, I could have got mega bucks for him but he was that once in a lifetime horse and I just couldn't do it. So we decided that he was to good of a horse to sell to just anyone, we would look for a forever home and he would be gifted to that person on the condition he died there and they take good care of him. Moose is the horse on the right above.
Our friend and neighbor Harvey had someone in mind, he needed a good quiet horse, didn't ride much, had another older horse that needed a friend and a farmstead about 20 miles from us that had been in the family for 150 years. It would be a good last home for Moose. I felt a little better when after he was loaded up his granddaughter Jayla, 4 years old came and was so excited. I held her up to pet Moose and told her that he was her horse now and that she had to take care of him for me. After I watched them drive out of our yard, I went in the house and cried like a baby. I do get updates and he's doing well. In time, I will go visit, right now, I still cry when I think about him....I'm crying now!

So, now it's time to find a replacement. It's not easy. The horse I had wanted, a half sister to Moose that looked just like him, sold. So I'm in a quandry. I'm looking at a coming 2 year old half brother of his, very loud marked (lots of white splashed on him and blue eyes, not my favorite) and a 2 year old black and white. Now I HAD my mind made up to get the 1/2 brother. After all, we have already owned 3 other horses sired by their dad and they have all been great. I mean how many horses would let a dog ride on them like Moose did in this picture?
Then a friend I used to show horses with sent me a card with a note that she did have one I should look at. SURE, this puts a crimper in my panties!! I like him too! He's a black and white paint, white legs, a little white on his neck and under his throat, she calls him Deacon. He's pretty cute too with a really nice head and the prettiest blue black I've ever seen! The prices are similar so that's not even e deciding factor.

So today we are going to look at Moose's brother in person. I hope after seeing him, I will be know which one I want for sure. I have a feeling that's not going to be the case. This is the horse we are looking at today:So, we'll see what happens after today. Hopefully I will have a decision made and a new horse in the barn by Christmas. The stall is all ready for him and maybe, just maybe I can be in the barn on Christmas Eve at midnight and hear him talk....
There will never be another Moose though.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Alcohol ink Foil

I used a couple Technique Junkie techniques on this card. The oak leaf is AI foil that I cut out with a Spellbinder leaf die and the background paper with the wheat on, if my take on Altered DP. It was a very muted paper and I added my stamping to it. LOL It's really pretty strait forward. The stamps are a set Gina K offered free with purchase last month and the brads on the bottom are from Michaels. The DP is from a Hobby Lobby pack and the orange is punched with a Martha Stewart punch (gotta love those punches she does, I also love her Chicken Parmasan recipe....but that's another post! I should post it, it's the BEST I've ever had). Anyway, I edged the DP with my gold Krylon pen, I love that look, a layer without layering. I hope you enjoy.
If you aren't a Technique Junkie, I would recommend checking it out here. It's a great way to get all sorts of ideas and techniques for a lot less than a couple magazines with great step by step pictures.

Clean and Simple Daisy's-Painted Panels

I am totally into Kraft paper recently and love the look of coloring white on it. On this card I opted for clean and simple, I used SU's Top note, stamped Flourishes Gerber Daisey's (My favorite flower!) and colored with Prismacolor pencils. This is all layered on a white base that I did painted panel technique from Technique Junkies newsletter. I know you can't see it to well but the layers of white strips are there! AND I actually took this picture outside in real light hoping it would show up better.

I spent the whole weekend stamping so as soon as I get going, I have will have tons of new stuff to share so be sure to stop back.

A Season that Sparkles Challenge

IF YOU CAME HERE VIA A LINK FROM WHIFF OF JOY FOR THAT CHALLENGE, PLEASE CLICK HERE. THE LINK DIDN'T GO IN RIGHT WHEN I PUT IT IN. SORRY


Here is my entry for the Flourishes challenge, as always sparkly things are really hard to photograph. I embossed the the deer and greeting, rubbed Opalite ink on the Cuttlebug background and the snowflake (which is a mini-tree ornament) has glitter on it. Besides the satin ribbon and metallic green paper cut with a Spellbinder pendant is shiny too! Kraft paper...well I'm really into it right now. I sponged the edges with Walnut Distress ink.

Fall Anniversary

I have had this pumpkin stamp from Eureka for a couple years and just haven't been able to get it to look like I keep envisioning. I think I did pretty good this time, at least I like it.

I used my SU markers to color in the stamp, Pumpkin Pie on the pumpkin and Old Olive on the leaves. I misted the stamp just once and stamped it then cut it out with a labels nestie. Before I removed the die, I sponged Distress Old Paper on it. I layered that on a different label die in Artichoke CS. The DP from Hobby Lobby was layered on Red Riding Hood CS that I wrapped my great rafia lace arount. I stamped happy anniversary (Dream Impressions) on a smaller label die in Artichoke ink and did the sponging again. It's all topped off with a rafia bow. This is a 5 x 7 card.

I'm doing a lot of my cards that size, I was lucky to have received a BIG box of envelopes from a friend's mom who worked at Hallmark and 90% were that size.

Zindorf Inspired

If you have spent any time on Split Coast Stampers you must have seen some of Michelle Zindorf's creations. She takes so much time and does such great tutorials on her blog that is much appreciated by many. A while back she did a tutorial for a card similar to mine.

I didn't have all the colors she used inks I had mostly Distress inks and the shadow of the lighter mountains in the background are from mementoes gray and the tree is from Sunday International. I think the leaves coming off the tree onto the base is from Meer Images. The image piece is a 4 in square. I distressed the edge and rubbed Walnut distress ink on it. It's layered on a 5 inch base. I had planned on layering it a little more but really liked it without anything else but a few leaves trailing off stamped in Curry.

Then I did highlighting with a white pen on the trees, mountain tops and flowers in foreground.

I also made this one.

This one uses trees from I Brake for Stamps.

Which one do you like better?

Halloween!

Here are the cards I made to mail to my kids (ok so they are 27 and 23, they are still my kids!) I'm not sure which one goes to who yet but here's what I did.

Now the pictures on the left was taken on my picnic table...in the SNOW! Ignore the thing on the top of the card, it's a leaf I didn't notice. LOL

I used a retired SU set First I cut out the size of Hexagone I wanted on Eggplant CS then I embossed the cat with black EP and bleached it. When it was dry, I colored the cat with Prismacolor pencils then blended with Gamsol. I generally do my image first and then cut but sine I embossed, I didn't want that breaking up with all the pressure. I layered it with Lime green and Pumpkin Spice. The card base is Pumpkin spice that was embossed with the pumpkin Cuttlebug folder and I ran black ink over it. The greeting is stamped on a fancy Spellbinder tag. HINT: To get those to fancy sides to stick, I run them through my Xyron sticker maker. I have a spiral clip on the top of the image layers with a purple ribbon tied on. Yes, the ribbon is really a nice matching dark purple that didn't show up in the snow! LOL

The card on the right is a 5X7 card. I started out embossing the witch from I Brake for Stamps in black and then coloring in the moon with a Vermarker pen and embossing it with clear powder. Then I stamped the trees from various vendors on the bottom and embossed them in black too. I sponged curry, pumpkin spice around the moon and then baja blue, eggplant and black on the rest of the white. Next I stamped a few bats from Gina K by the moon. I layered it on black and Pumpkin spice (love that color!) and cut a fence with Martha Stewart punch for the bottom. I wish I would have made it extend the whole width of card though. Oh well. Then I stamped Inkadinkado leaves trailing behind the witch in black and in Pumpkin on the white card base. I stamped the greeting (SU) on a fancy Spellbinder tag along with a couple more bats and added a couple black button brads.

Hey, no DP on these cards!

Goodbye Sarah....

I really wish this card would have photographed better, it really was prettier in real life.

I made it for a co-worker that got a new job and we always pass a card around for everyone to sign. This is an 8 1/2 X 5 1/2 card, a full sheet folded. It needed to be big for 40+ people to sign. If you haven't tried to make a card that big, it's a challenge that's for sure.

The image is Gerber Daisy's from Flourishes. I stamped it and then cut it with a Spellbinder Label. The overhang was cut and lifted over the die before I ran it through so it didn't cut. The 3 layers of DP is from a pack I got at Hobby Lobby. There are 2 layers on the bottom ( the blue layer had a border cut with a Martha punch but you can't see it in the pictures) with a wrap of Rafia lace my dear friend Maggie from England sent me. We have this deal, I send her things I can get here and she sends me things from England. I can't wait to go back and visit her again. Hopefully this time more than just a few minutes.

Back to the card, The good luck was stamped in Red Riding hood and is a Dream Impressions stamp. I colored the daisy's with Prisma colors and gamsol blended. and then I added a large white ribbon. By Sarah good luck and we'll miss you!

Clear Dollar Stamps color challenge

I've been very lax at being able to play in challenges and remembering to post them so this week, since it SNOWED, I figured I'd MAKE myself do it. So yesterday I locked myself in my stamp room (which I did get cleaned up some) and stamped. I got a lot done and by last night decided I better get going on the challenge. from Paper Craft Planet. The colors were Baja Blue, Silver, More Mustard and optional of Pumpkin Pie or Certainly Celery with White. Here's my card

I used the silver brads for silver and HAD to make the dog black using the Dog Days new set from CDS because my DD has adopted a black Newfoundland cross. I stamped him twice and colored him with Prisma pencils and blended with Gamsol. I cut out with Nesties and before I removed the die, I sponged Baja Blue on the top for sky and Certainly Celery on the bottom and used a marker to color in some shadow. Then I cut out the extra dog head and front legs and mounted it on top to give him some dimension. The DP is from the DCWV Pet Stack, and brads are from Hobby Lobby. I stamped the Puppy Love and paw print on some white twill for the ribbon with black ink. HINT: when stamping on fabric and ribbon, hold the stamp on it for a while to let the ink soak in. The card base is the Baja Blue that I used the diamond Cuttlebug folder on and stamped a few of the other stamps in the set in the empty spaces.

Now, I want to point out I'm a lazy stamper. I love the cards I see with all the layers and flowers and such but I mail 95% of my cards and want them to go with one stamp. On this card I was thinking of doing some sewing on it but there was green thread in the machine and I didn't want to change. This card will be mailed to my DD.

I looked out the window to see he snow and wind and this: YUK, it's only a week into October and the leaves are still on most of the trees!

Then while I was stamping, saw this out my stamping window, poor little birds were cold! Doesn't this just SCREAM Christmas?

I so had planned to work on Christmas cards but ended up doing only fall cards. Oh well, it's only what 11 weeks or less till Christmas, I have plenty of time.....if not, there's always next year! LOL

Clean up time

It's been a while since I've posted and I'm sorry if you are following. It's not that I haven't stamped (a little) but I just am not finding time to post! It's summer and I love to be outside and spend time with my dogs and horses.
Anyway, last night I went into my stamp room and it was such a mess. I decided I'm going to clean it's a very dirty word for me. I HATE to clean more than anything, I'd rather clean stalls in the horse barn than dust the house but company doesn't care if the stalls are clean.

So, I think this weekend it's clean out time. I looked in my drawers and see things I don't/won't use, like slide mounts and some bead and the list goes on. Things I HAD to buy and have never used are going to be put in a box and from there I'll have to decide what to do with them. I'm thinking of just donating to a school. So that's my plan. When I am organized again (this might take months) I'll start stamping....so then it will be I won't be able to find ANYTHING! LOL But maybe, just maybe I will be clutter free and it will be easier.

Wish me luck! I'll need it...if you can't find me....I'll be in the barn.