Art Impressions-Spring Chicken Set

AI Spring Chicken Set

AI Clean and Simple. 

While I do appreciate a fussy card, my style tends to be "Clean and Simple". I was so glad when someone coined that phrase because it seemed so many of the cards I was looking at were very ornate. I do love them, but they just aren't really me.

Mine felt plain and simple as in ordinary and stupid. I prefer to think of them as Clean and Simple meaning streamlined and not too tough to duplicate! What I really love to do is color. The card is really secondary for me, but in order to share my colored images and justify the time and money I've spent, I make cards. It's amazing how a simple card can lift someone's spirits.

So, first I bought the goats because, well, I am an old(er) goat. I do not NEED the chickens, right? No, seriously, I do NOT need any of these images, but once the seed is planted...

UGH! I mean, how great are these girls?

My Favorite Things-Clean And Simple

My Favorite Things, such a perfect name, because, yes, they are among my favorite things...

love, love, LOVE 

their stamps and die cuts!

I haven't paid close attention to my email lately. This morning, I actually read the MFT email-a contest that ends, today! Oh, my, should I even bother? I mean, seriously, the entries are many and oh, so fabulous. I do not envy the judges. But, there's no harm in trying, so I spread out my MFT stamps sets (Birdie Brown, you're killing me!) Hmmm, what to use...pigs? dragons? unicorns? yetis? otters? bears? gnomes? hedgehogs? a chef? hedgehogs?...so many choices, all of them just as cute as can be.

Ah, but these little mice-I haven't used them since last fall as I think they are best suited for fall cards. These cuties are small so coloring tends to go faster though I use Copics and love to shade-the bullet nibs come in handy.

The sentiment is embossed. Glossy accents cover the pumpkins.

So, there you have it...

HARVEST MOON

Art Impressions Old Goat Set

Art Impressions-I'm a BIG fan! Oh, how I love the Golden Oldies, and the Girlfriends, and the Tri-Folds, and of course, the critters! These delightful characters and creatures never fail to bring a smile. I am in awe of those of you who do the watercolor stamps. Naturally, I bought a few-very few as I am not sure I am up to the challenge of learning this technique. But, I do so love my Copics, and my Copics do so love AI!

When I saw this set, well, everything about it said,"BUY ME!"

I live in a 55+ community-never did I ever think that I would do that, but it turns out, it was a great decision for us. We lucked out-in addition to a beautiful home, we landed in a truly active and fun loving community with some of the nicest folks. Our community borders a farm-you guessed it, there are goats. My goodness, they are cute, BUT oh, so destructive. Some of our neighbors have had a real issue, and after many polite requests to said farmer, issued a formal complaint-FENCE, please. Our little goat friends are perhaps a bit confused: "Why The Fence?"

Lest you feel sorry for these once free range critters-don't. They have a BIG wide open field in which to romp and play. Their diet no longer includes the flower gardens that some of our neighbors painstakingly planted and tend, but I'm pretty sure, they are eating well!

AI Old Goat Set

Limited Edition personal stamp from The Stamps of Life

Gerda Steiner Designs and Distress Oxides

I have this friend-she's very creative, loves to stamp and design cards and lives right across the street. It's a match made in heaven, right? She teaches a card class-it's much like a Stampin Up event, but it occurs bi-weekly. In addition, she uses a variety of mediums and images from a wide variety of artists. These classes are great fun and as much a social event as a learning experience. Though I am a seasoned cardmaker, I often learn something new and am encouraged to try new techniques. None of those creations will appear in my blog-if she had one, they would appear there!

When Ranger introduced the Distress Oxides, she rushed to preorder them. I wasn't sold-why do I need more ink? Besides, I'm a Copic girl-everything Copics! She convinced me-this is the downside to this relationship! At a time of life when I have far less disposable income, I do not need encouragement to spend those more limited $$$! Ah, but I do it...

I love these Distress Oxides. Admittedly, I need to branch out and find different ways to incorporate them in my cards. Thus far, I use them for pretty much the same thing-pretty backgrounds!

Gerda Steiner Designs

Gerda Steiner Designs