Happiness is Homemade

How was your Halloween?  It was a busy day, but a quiet night here!  We only had about 30 or 40 trick-or-treaters, but we had a blast looking at their cute costumes and the pure joy on their faces.  My favorites are the tiny ones that toddle up or come rolling up with their parents pushing their strollers.  So adorable! Definitely one of my favorite holidays!

As October comes to a close and the page of the calendar turns to November, Thanksgiving is already on my mind.  That's what inspired today's card.  I just *love* apron stamps, so this was a great excuse to use one of my favorites!

So much has changed since last year, I must admit that I am filled with a sense of adventure and also a little uneasiness when I think of revising our collection of favorite family recipes to try to make them allergen-friendly.  I really wish I could just "cheat" for one meal, but the elimination-provocation diet doesn't quite work that way...it wouldn't be worth risking a reaction and feeling yucky for a week afterward.  I'll have to find a way to keep it "legal" and as close to the original character of the recipes as possible.  Quite a challenge with limited ingredients and also limited experience as a gluten-free/Paleo baker, so I am thinking I need to start early and experiment!  ;)

Notes:
Flourishes "Fresh Baked" stamp set
Memento Nautical Blue ink
Spectrum Noir markers
Authentique "Strong" designer paper
Twinkle Goosebumps bling
1 mm and 2 mm foam adhesive dots
craft blade and mat

Keep Calm & Carry On!

I am happy to finally get to play in one of the SCS Hope You Can Cling To challenges this month!  Way back when I was a physical therapy intern, I did one of my rotations at M.D. Anderson, so this cause is one that is near and dear to my heart, especially since my mom had her mastectomy last year.

My card is for Joyce's "Subway Art with Heart" challenge.  This Flourishes stamp set was a good fit for it.  Lately I can really relate to the sentiment, "Keep Calm and Carry On!"

Notes:
Flourishes "Just My Type" stamp set
Wplus9 "Damask Delight" background stamp
Memento Tuxedo Black, Angel Pink inks
pink tinsel-edged ribbon
a button from my stash
sparkly black twine
bling

Of course, since Mom's surgery, I've been particularly conscious of the need to do my monthly breast exam, and also my annual mammogram.  It was a scary thing to find a lump at the beginning of this month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month!  It took a whole lot of "Keep Calm and Carry On" to not run with that fear and let negative thoughts take hold...after a couple of weeks of extra doctor appointments, mammograms, and an ultrasound, I got the all clear.

One of the positive things during all of that was the praise I received from my nurse practitioner for my progress on my gluten-free journey.  I had not seen her since my annual physical in March, shortly after I went completely gluten-, dairy-, soy-, corn-, and refined-sugar-free, about three weeks after I had injured my gastrocnemius muscle.  She was really impressed that I've lost a total of almost 50 pounds, all through lifestyle modifications alone. In fact, she was even able to half the dosage on one of my medications!  It tickled me when she told me that if I weren't blogging about my journey, I should be!  Well, here we are!

I'm very grateful for her encouragement, and for my Functional Medicine doctor who has been advising me along the way.  I am still having reactions to an as-of-yet-unidentified  food trigger, so he has instructed me to further modify my diet by removing "nightshades,"  which includes tomatoes, potatoes, paprika, chili powder, and peppers, including cayenne...thankfully peppercorns are still on the menu!  At this point it is rather like hunting for a needle in a haystack, especially since sensitivity responses (unlike full-blown allergies) are a delayed reaction (usually extreme fatigue, headaches, facial swelling, and sinusitis).  Our next step is to do some food sensitivity testing so that I can get the remaining offending foods out of my diet and allow my digestive system to heal, which will in turn boost my immune system.  I feel so much better already, but I'm looking forward to feeling really healthy!

Thanks for visiting, and for reading about what Life's been like lately!  Blessings to you!

How Sweet It Is!

Today's SCS "Tear and Distress" CAS challenge was the inspiration for what turned out to be a not-so-clean-and-simple vintage Halloween card with a pocket for some yummy Hershey's!  I love getting extra mileage out of supplies, so I often will use holiday printed designer paper with non-holiday stamps...or vice versa! This particular paper pack has a few polkadot and chevron prints that would work for other occasions, and both stamp sets will also work for the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays when paired with other Fall or Winter papers.

It was really sweet to stamp today, even though I can't have that Hershey's!  ;)

Notes:
Flourishes Fresh Baked stamp set (sentiment)
Wplus9 Damask Delight stamp set (flourishes)
Authentique "Thrilling" designer paper
Wplus9 Timeless Tags 2 dies
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Tim Holtz distress ink, markers
pompom trim
hemp twine
2 mm foam adhesive dots
scor tape
Scor Pal

Happy 5th Birthday ihp!

 

i {heart} papers is thrilled to be celebrating our 5th birthday this month! To celebrate we’re having 5 days of savings! From October 21-25 check our SALE PAGE for steep birthday savings on hundreds of items, some marked down as much as 50%!

We know there’s no way we could have made it this far without each and every one of our loyal customers sharing their IHP love with their friends or following us on Facebook, Twitter, our blog or through our newsletter. We will also have a giveaways on the blog and on Twitter during these days (they’ll be linked from Facebook too but since giveaways aren’t technically allowed on Facebook we have to do it on the blog!) so be sure to check in daily to see how to enter.

But wait! There’s more! Most customers know that Kate is a huge dog rescue advocate, volunteering for a local dog rescue, transporting dogs in need and doing rescue work on Facebook. October happens to also be Adopt A Shelter Dog month, as well as the birthday of one of Kate’s dogs, BooBoo and the Gotcha/Adoption day of Mr. Barbo. So, in honor of all of that, IHP will be donating 10% of all sales during the birthday sale to Home For Good Dog Rescue, Eleventh Hour Rescue and Pilots ‘n Paws.

For today's birthday card, I found inspiration in ihp's logo colors and shapes...I chose some pastel designer papers along with some of my favorite Wplus9 stamp sets which include hearts and flowers.  I started out following today's Mojo Monday sketch, but strayed a bit to accomodate the long, narrow sentiment.  

Notes:

Authentique "Strong" designer paper

Fancy Pants "Down by the Shore" designer paper 

Wplus9 Lacey Layers stamp set and coordinating dies

Wplus9 Banner Love

Wplus9 Strictly Sentiments 1

Memento inks (Sorbet Scoops, Snowcones assortments)

Pink satin ribbon

Clear rhinestones

Spring Bloom hemp twine

1mm and 2mm foam adhesive squares 

Thank you for supporting IHP for 5 years. We’re so happy to celebrate this milestone with all of you!

Congratulations, and BEST WISHES!

Congratulations to the newlyweds, Kate and John!  Your wedding day looked like a fairytale come true!  (I can't wait to see more pictures!)  The i {heart} papers design team and guest designers wanted to do something special in celebration of this momentous occasion, so we are having a blog hop.  It's our way of sending our very best wishes for happiness, joy and blessings for today and always!

The Fall colors were beginning to make their debut in some of your wedding and honeymoon photos, and I was inspired to try to capture some of those textures and hues on paper.  I gathered some rich gold, burgundy and "weathered wood" designer paper prints from several 6 x 6 pads, along with a calendar scrap left over from another project. a handful of distress markers in coordinating colors, and a few wooden letters from my seemingly limitless stash...

Using the markers, I scribbled distress ink randomly onto a silicone mat, misted it with sparkly gold Smooch spritz, then dragged some ivory card stock through it.  Once it dried, I die-cut leaves using Lawn Fawn Stitched Leaves dies, inking the edges with distress ink and popping them onto the layout with foam dots for more dimension.

Taking your husband's name as part of your own is a big deal, so I used wooden letters colored with distress ink to add Kate's new name just above the greeting.

Notes:
Simple Stories Say Cheese designer paper
Authentique Strong designer paper (background, ticket stubs, weathered wood)
Tim Holtz distress markers
Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink 
Smooch spritz
Lawn Fawn Stitched Leaves dies
Flourishes Old-Fashioned Floral stamp (sentiment)
WPlus9 Lacey Layers dies (for small contrasting circle under the date)
1mm and 2mm foam adhesive

I am so excited for you as you begin your new life together! Sending lots of love, and many blessings!

Here are the participants for today's hop!

• Amy
• Deb--you are here!
• Gretchen
• Libby
• Linda
• Lindsay
• Lori
• Sarah
• Stacey
• Tracy
• Vera
• Wida

A Little Bit Oriental

Today I am excited to be joining the Crafter's Companion team as they launch another gorgeous collection from Sheena Douglass called “A Little Bit Oriental.” This collection has four beautiful stamp sets, four 5x7 embossing folders, and a paper pad with 48 sheets of coordinating pattern papers in 16 designs. All of these wonderful new products are available right now on the Crafter’s Companion website.

Here are the links to all the new products and the gallery of projects featuring them!

• Sheena ‘A Little Bit Oriental’
• Bundle all four stamp sets for $59.95
• Coordinating 5x7 embossing folders
• Bundle all four 5x7 folders for $19.95
• Coordinating designer paper pad

To celebrate this wonderful new release, the designers have been busy making some wonderful projects and we can’t wait to show them off to you. Hop along and don’t forget to leave comments along the way because we will be selecting a random winner who will receive one of the lovely new Sheena Stamp Sets (winner’s choice).

I wanted my card to feel like a Fall Oriental garden party with lanterns hanging from a decorative wrought iron accent.  I chose some designer paper with polka dots in bright Autumn colors, then used the pointillism (more dots!) technique to color several matching lanterns, fussy cutting them and attaching them with glue or foam dots to a soft sky blue print lined with fine liner pin "cords." Although the design is relatively clean and simple, the accordion fold makes it a little more interesting, and inside there's a panel of lined designer print upon which to write a personal greeting or some garden party details.  A silk bow and button tied with jute and a few sparkly rhinestones bring some of the other happy colors of the background design into the forefront.

Here are the products I used for my card, and the colors I blended to shade the lanterns:

• Stamps from the "A Little Bit Oriental" collection
• Memento ink
• Markers:
• wrought iron and leaves:  BG4, BG6 and DG2, DG4
• red:  DR1, DR5, DR7, and DR3
• yellow: CT4, GB5, OR1
• turquoise:  BT1, BT2, BT4, BT5 (I used BT1 to color the background of the wrought iron so I would not have to fussy cut all those little details)
• Ultra smooth premium white card stock
• Down by the Shore Fancy Pants designer paper
• silk ribbon
• twine
• rhinestones
• foam dots in 1 and 2 mm heights
• square dies for sentiment
• button from stash
• mono multi glue
• cutter bee scissors

Enjoy visiting the designers' blogs who will be sharing projects today:

• Chrissie Tobas
• Christiana Reuling
• Denise Coulter
• Kendra Wietstock
• Leah l'Orange
• Mary Dawn Quirindongo
• Roxanne O’Brien
• Stacy Harper-Watson
• Stephanie Severin
• Trena Brannon
• Tenia Nelson 
• Deb Felts, guest designer (you're here!)

Thanks, Kendra, for inviting me to play along!  It felt good to stamp, since it's been a while!  I'm hoping I can get back on a roll!

Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade!

Happy Sunday!  It is a lemonade-in-the-shade kind of day here in northeast Florida, with temperatures close to 90, and a heat index of 95.  Just tryin' to stay cool!

I hope this  bright,  sunny yellow makes you smile!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Notes:
WPlus9 Milk and Cookies stamp set and matching dies
WPlus9 Lacey Layers stamp set and matching dies
Authentique designer paper
Memento Tuxedo Black, Lady Bug and Cantaloupe inks
Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink
Yellow scalloped velvet trim
1 mm and 2mm foam adhesive squares

How Sweet It Is!

Hello, friends!  I've been away from home and without internet access for a while, but I got to stamp a card and finally got a connection so I could upload it.  Not a very good photo since it was taken on a cloudy day with an iPhone and flash, but at least I can share it!  

Stamping without access to my studio is a little like a limited supplies challenge, but I enjoyed working on this card because this is my very first go at using my brand new Tim Holtz distress markers.  Last summer after CHA I kept telling myself I didn't *need* them, but this year, when the new colors came out, I decided I had to have them after all!  New toys are always so much fun!

Notes:

Flourishes' Fresh Baked stamp set (I really LOVE apron stamps!)

Memento Nautical Blue ink (Snowcone assortment)

Tim Holtz distress markers

Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink

Pebbles Family Ties designer paper

Spellbinders' classic circle dies

Gratitude!

It's Splitcoaststampers' Dare to Get Dirty week, and I've been wanting to stamp some cards for it.  I was disappointed that I didn't get to stamp much at all during the month of July because of a subluxed rib joint and ITband problem that made sitting at the crafting desk extremely uncomfortable...for the first part of the month, I couldn't have seen well enough to stamp anyway, but finally the lab got my glasses problem figured out and corrected, so I'm not having constant headaches and blurred vision anymore! The chiropractor and massage therapist  are still working on the rest, but it is gradually getting better.  All that is definitely something to be thankful for! 

It has been nearly as hot as Hades down here in Florida, and when the August and September heat comes, it leaves me longing for the coolness of Fall!  On that note, I pulled out Wplus9's Happy Harvest along with some Authentique Beyoutiful designer paper for a fairly CAS center stair card with a cute Fall scarecrow.    

After diecutting a scarecrow from ivory card stock, I selectively inked the scarecrow's face with London Fog and shirt with Peanut Brittle ink, using Cantaloupe for the tufts of  hay that peek from underneath his overalls, which were stamped on a separate scrap with London Fog, cut out and popped up on dimensional adhesive. His scarf is stamped in Morocco ink.  I added a few SEI buttons from my stash, tied with ivory twine to accent the sentiment.  

I'm hoping to play a few more challenges before the weekend ends! You should join me!  :)

Notes:

Wplus9's Happy Harvest 

Authentique Beyoutiful designer paper

Memento London Fog, Peanut Brittle, Morocco and Cantaloupe inks

dimensional adhesive

twine

Happy birthday, Kate!

July has certainly been a fun month so far, and the party just keeps on goin'!  Today is Kate's birthday, and our ihp team is celebrating! You can party too, because CHA is right around the corner and there's gonna be a big sale to make room on the shelves for the new stuff soon to arrive!  Here are the details:

I combined several sets from WPlus9 for a card with old-fashioned simplicity.  I am in love with this periwinkle and pistachio color combo!  If you look really closely at the Lacey Layers doily, you'll notice the faint music score in the background...that's a scrap of one of my favorite prints from this collection.  Hopefully Kate will hear the birthday song at least once today!  :)

Kate, I hope you have a wonderful day filled with friends, family and fun!  I am sad that a celebration in person at Summer CHA is not part of this year's agenda!  We'll just have to be sure to save a "half year" toast for January!  Sending much love, and best wishes! xoxoxo

Notes:
Strictly Sentiments 1
Lacey Layers and matching die
Chantilly Trim
Memento elderberry and pistachio inks
Ranger distress ink
Authentique Remembrance designer paper
scrap of lace trim
ivory twine
rhinestones

Hop with us to wish Kate a very Happy Birthday!

• The IHP Blog
• Carole
• Deb
• Gretchen
• Judy
• Lindsay
• Lizzie
• Lori
• Sarah
• Stacey
• Tracy
• Vera
• Wida