My Weblog

Beautiful Sarah Day 2009

 

Today is Beautiful Sarah Day, a day that I set aside every year to honor the memory of my beautiful niece, Sarah, who died in 2007.  I try to come up with some project that would appeal to Sarah's artistic side, while at the same time leaving the world a little more beautiful.  I decided to make a dozen cards that I will pass on in a random act of kindness way.  Here it is:

 

Sarah loved angels.  She often used angels in her artwork.  I have one of Sarah's necklaces draped over the mirror in my bedroom to remind me of her...a lovely pair of gold wings. This simple angel is so pretty.  This little card is only two inches by three and a half inches, the same size as an Artist Trading Card or a business card.  My hope is that someone will find this little angel on a park bench, a cafe table, or propped on a windowsill.  They will pick it up, look at it, and maybe turn it over to see this:

 

The summer before Sarah died, she had entered rehab, trying to find some peace from the chaos that alcoholism had caused in her life.  It was a very dark time for her.  I sent Sarah a card and a letter, telling her that I loved her, and God loved her, and He did not plan on keeping her in dark places forever.  I told Sarah God's plan for her. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11.  Less than one year later, God's plan was to bring Sarah home.

I hope that someone finds this little piece of Sarah art, and feels God's love this week.

The Big Things and The Little Things, Too

 

For the past several months, our lives have been consumed by son number one. It's not Luke's fault, really.  He can't help it that he's a)nineteen years old, and b) a senior graduating from high school, and c)trying to figure out what college he'll attend, and d) hoping to snag a summer job.  And really, who can blame him for wanting to go to prom, needing a tuxedo, and wishing he owned his own car. Luke is nineteen, and even though I'm more than twenty years beyond nineteen, I remember the feeling of being on the cusp of adulthood.  It's a confusing time.

I've always taken the advice of Dr. Dobson to heart.  He said that for the first eighteen years of a child's life, the parent needs to make that child feel as comfortable as possible in their own home.  And then for every year after eighteen, you need to make them feel uncomfortable enough to leave.  :)   I think Luke's ready to sprout some wings and fly from the nest soon.

In the meantime, Luke's bewildered parents have struggled with FAFSA forms (that's financial aid, for those of you without college-aged children), college applications, transcripts, college visits, sticker shock, and many a long discussion as to how a one-income family can actually afford college tuition.  Good times!

With all of those mountain-sized obstacles ahead of us, I decided to do the one thing that I knew I could accomplish with ease...I stamped.

I needed to send out some graduation announcements to our far-flung family members, so I decided to attach a senior photo along with the announcement and accomplish two tasks at one time.

 

The announcement measures 5 1/2 by 8 1/2 inches.  I choose this larger size because I had some large envelopes to go with it, and it would give me a bigger area to include the photo and info.

The graduation cap is from the old SU stamp set, Sketch and Event.  Luke's high school colors are black and gold (so much classier than his last school, whoch chose purple and yellow for their school colors.  yuck!), so I used the colors in the announcement, too.

There are two elements in this creation that are little things...I embossed the cap in gold, and I added a strip of burnished gold cardstock to tie the dark side on the left with the light side on the right.  Little things, but they add a classy touch.

It's a beautiful day today!  I think I'll take son number three to the park, and I'll try hard not to think how quickly the years will pass until it's Sam's senior year. sigh.  Blessings!

The Saltbox Studio Clearance Sale!

 

GOOD NEWS! Amuse Art Stamps is having a HUGE clearance sale on all of the clear stamp sets from The Saltbox Studio line.  Every set is half off. Once they are sold out, they are gone for good. Hurry and get these sets before they disappear! 

www.amuseartstamps.com

When you click on the sale link, the SBS sets appear on page two.  You'll find the entire line there.

And now for the bad news.  Beth is discontinuing the Saltbox Studio line of clear stamps to focus on other pursuits.  She is one busy lady! 

Beth has decided to put more focus on her needle arts design and less on the stamp art.  Her new  online boutique opens in July and her blog launched yesterday.  www.xstitchinthegarden.blogspot.com 

She has upcoming designs in : Just Cross Stitch magazine  (the October, Special Holiday  and December  2009 issues) 

Beth will still be involved in the paper crafts just in a different capacity.  

She also will have periodic freebies on her blog that will include counted thread designs as well as art for punch needle or paper crafting.

 

I'm sad to see the line disband, but I'm also excited to see what Beth will have in store for the future.

 

I made today's card to remind me of the first days of The Saltbox Studio.  Good times!  Beth and I were shopping in a home furnishing store in St. Louis when we first came up with the idea of shabby sheep.  We laughed so hard that day! We would find inspiration in some of the funniest places...coffee shops, home stores, diners, you name it.  Maybe some of these wonderful mages will reappear in future needle art projects?  Hey, a girl can hope, right?

 

{recipe: Sheep stamp and sentiment (The Saltbox Studio), amuse stitching stamp, Versafine onyx ink, so saffron and riding hood red cardstock, Daisy D papers, flower punch, fibers, brads}

May's Blog Theme: The Little Things

 

A new month, and a new blog theme!  May's theme should be fun.  My theme for this month is "The Little Things."  I'll be exploring ways that little things can have a big impact on our daily lives.

Today's card fits so well with our theme.  Color, three stamps, a little pattern, and big impact.  Do you have these fabulous amuse ovals in a variety of sizes?  If not, you really need them.  Look at what a big impact that little blue shadow has on the composition of this card!

{recipe: stamps from Amuse, sentiment from The Saltbox Studio, Amuse polka notecard and ric rac tag, square scallop punch, versafine ink}

Happy Anniversary, Amuse!

Amuse Art Stamps is celebrating their 8th anniversary!  Congratulations to Linda and the entire Amuse team!  Your creativity is inspiring!

You must visit the amuse blog to find out how you can get the 2009 clear anniversary stamp set for free.  Trust me, you'll want it.  I want it so bad I can taste it!  It's called Classic Labels, and these images are made to pair with the Marvy and EK success punches that we love so much. You can see the set here on the blog:

www.amusenews.typepad.com

Hope your weekend is filled with lots of wonderful little things!

A Rose By Any Other Name

 

Time for another rose card.  I'm working on some Mother's Day cards, and I made this one for my mom-in-law, Brooke, who loves yellow roses.

{recipe:  A Rose is a Rose (SU), sentiment from SU, Bella Birds DSP, so saffon cardstock and ink, choc. chip cardstock and ink, always artichoke ink, choc. satin ribbon, ivory HPH, designer label punch, corner rounder punch, foam dimensionals}

Today is the last day of April, and the end of my blog theme, Pretty As A Poem.  I thought I'd feature one of my favorite poets and writers, Wendell Berry. 

The Wild Rose

Sometimes hidden from me
in daily custom and in trust,
so that I live by you unaware
as by the beating of my heart.

Suddenly you flare in my sight,
a wild rose blooming at the edge
of thicket, grace and light
where yesterday was only shade,

and once again I am blessed, choosing
again what I chose before.

Flowers for Mom

 

Poor mom!  She hurt her back just before her visit here, and she was suffering.  She was able to do some stamping while she was here, but missed out on her trip to Adventures in Stamping convention in Akron, Ohio. Bummer!  I made this card to give her a gentle reminder to take care of herself.  

{recipe : Vases in Vogue(SU), versafine onyx ink, prisma markers, tempting turquoise/green galore/white cardstock, circle punch, white eyelets, crystal effects, Cuttlebugged cardstock, polka silk flower} 

A Rose is a Rose

 

For years, I did not own a rose stamp.  That's kind of funny, when you consider that Rose is my middle name.  For some odd reason, I passed up the chance to own Cottage Rose, Regal Rose, A Wild Rose, and just about every other rose stamp set that Stampin Up put in its catalog.  Then SU showcased a new set in it's fall-winter 2008 catalog called A Rose is a Rose, and I knew I had to have it.  It's one of SU's pricier stamp sets (37.95...ouch!), but it coordinates with everything in the Bella line that I love so much. I purchased the set in December, and only recently got around to assembling and using it. I think it will make lovely mother's day cards.

{recipe: A Rose is a Rose (SU), Best Yet (SU), Canvas (SU), Frames with a Flourish(SU), kiwi kiss/ivory/ pink pirouette cardstock, Bella papers, riding hood red/kiwi kiss ink, scallop edge punch, circle punch, button}

Someone at my church told me recently "I think it's sweet how your name is Mary Rose and you always wear roses."  I do?  Yeah, I guess I do!  In the fall and winter, I wear my felted wool "roses" on lots of coats and jackets.  In the spring and summer, I wear a lot of rose jewelry.

I confess, I'm a bit of a rose snob.  I'm not overly fond of anything that is rose-scented because it never captures the complex fragrance of real roses to me. I did find that I like Crabtree and Evelyn's rose parfum, but that's the only one.

I'm also a rose snob in the garden.  I prefer certain varieties over others.  This past weekend, Ed and I were visiting a few garden centers, and I told him that I thought the oh-so-popular Knockout Roses were just cheater roses. Plant them in the ground and ignore them?  Forget it!  A rose is prickly and sensitive by nature, and demands a little time and attention.

Jackson and Perkins sells lovely roses.  My favorite varieties are the old English Roses of David Austin. I once had a variety that smelled like tea!  One of my favorite home gardens was an Englsih garden that I created using Abraham Darby, Graham Thomas, and yes, the Mary Rose.

My Indy home does not have a single rose. I'm hoping to plant a few climbing roses over my new arbor soon.  Anyone have a favorite variety to recommend?

Saltbox Sampler

 

The April issue of Country Living featured an article about Alphabet Samplers.  I thought the timing was perfect because a) I'd just found the framed sampler that I'd made years ago after digging through moving boxes, and b) I've renewed my excitement about needle arts recently.  The article showcased an antique sampler worth nearly $10,000, and then listed some cute samplers to order and make now.

It got me thinking...why not make an alphabet sampler with stamps?  As I was stamping this card, my son John looked at my work and said "Hey, that looks like the one hanging on the wall in the great room!"  Mission accomplished.

{recipe: House/Trees/Stars from the Saltbox Studio, mini alphabet, large Canvas background stamp (SU), Versafine onyx and sepia inks, prismacolor pencils, night of navy cardstock, mustard paper}

Arbor Day

 

Happy Arbor Day!  The trees in my town are celebrating Arbor Day today in their full blossoming splendor. My little Indy town is a Tree City USA, and it's never more obvious than in the spring. Lovely!

I borrowed this card format from ambouth on Splitcoast Stampers, who made the most adorable Christmas card using this stamp set.  Here's a link to the original:

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1060429

{recipe: Season of Friendship, Sweet Little Sentiments (SU), pink pirouette/choc. chip cardstock, choc. chip/pink pirouette/ bordering blue inks, Bella Birds DSP, scallop edge punch, large and wide oval punches, felt flowers, rhinestone brad, taffeta ribbon}

And now, a poem appropriate for this warm and wonderful day!

Trees  by Sergeant Joyce Kilmer

I think that I shall never see/ A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest/Against the earth's sweet flowing breast.

A tree that looks at God all day/And lifts her leafy arms to pray.

A tree that may in summer wear/A nest of robins in her hair.

Upon whose bosom snow has lain/Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me/But only God can make a tree.

Recycled

 

Do you recycle?  Don't worry!  I'm not the green police here to measure the size of your carbon footprint.  ha ha! I try to reduce, reuse, and recycle whenever possible.  Last weekend, I bought a new (to me) vintage jean jacket. Voila!  I'm green!

Today, I found some elements to recycle and use on this card.  This large scalloped oval and chocolate ribbon were part of the gift wrapping from a present my husband gave me for my birthday.  It was too pretty to throw away, so I stashed it with my craft supplies for future use.  Who knew that green could be so pretty?

{recipe: Friends 24-7 (SU), Handbill Headlines (SU), choc. chip ink, baja breeze ink, Parisian Breeze dsp, Prima flowers, pearl}