Framed Art Convention Swap and My Gift

At the Late Night Stamper's event, we did 3D shoebox swaps.  This is the swap I made for my shoebox.  I really enjoy making these framed art samplers.  I bought these little frames at Ikea for a couple of dollars and used all the new In Colors for the punch art.

The first night of Late Night, we exchanged gifts.  My gift came in this darling owl bag along with an owl card and owl candy bar wrap.  Isn't it darling??

And this is the beautiful piece that was inside the Owl Bag.  It is just lovely.  It is on a stained wooden piece that I am thinking may be an old background stamp piece of wood.  I love the pansies in two colors.  This was made by Kay Capps.

Collage Art

NOTE:  New items have been added to CLEARANCE!!

Yesterday was a rough day for me!  I didn't get to bed until 2 a.m. with plans to sleep in.  But I woke up around 8:30 and the room was spinning.  Darn!  That old vertigo got me again.  I haven't had it in several years.  I didn't do anything most of the morning - felt nauseated, weak and just blah!  I didn't feel like eating but finally got a piece of toast down around noon.  I had to get to feeling better 'cause I had some gals coming over at 2:30 to make a collage art piece and I didn't want to disappoint.  I finally took a pill for motion sickness that Ashley had given me several years ago.  It did the trick!  So we got our art piece done and had fun doing it.  They loved it.  We are planning on doing one in early June for 4th of July if you are interested.

After the gals left, I took a nap and then sweet talked Sonny into going out to eat!  When I got back home, I had a message on the home phone but couldn't get our phone to work - no service.  I had forgotten my cell phone when we went out to eat and when I checked it, I had a message from Marianne to call her. Evidently my family was trying desperately to get in touch with me to let me know my cousin, Bobby, had died of an apparent heart attack.  What a shock!  He was just 49 years old and the sweetest kid you'd meet.  He has had a hard life but had gotten himself back on track after being into drugs big time in his 20's. His sisters are taking it real hard of course.  Their family has had a tough few years.  Their mother died last year and their father has died since I moved back to NC.  Now it's just the two sisters, Jane and Candy, left.  My sisters and particularly, my brother, are also taking it hard.  Jane, Candy and Bobby lived down the street from us when they were growing up and they were real close to Marianne, Angela and Lee as they were all 2-3 years apart in age.  I was 12-15 years older and gone from home when they were all growing up.  Just goes to show that you never know when your time is up so you need to live your life to the fullest while you can.

I participated in the Paper Craft Challenge this month and made this card with MDS.

Spring Sampler

I have been wanting to make a Sampler Frame (not sure what to call them!) for quite some time - let's say, over a year!!  At one of the Quarterly's a year or so ago, we did a "inchie" swap so we could make our own sampler card or frame when we got home.  Well, those "inchies" are somewhere here in my craft room.  I actually saw them a few weeks ago but can't remember where!!  So I decided to do my own.  I made this first frame a couple of weeks ago mostly using extra pieces that I had made for cards and not used.  I keep them on my desk in a little box.  So, I pulled them out - the flowers, bird, butterfly, pinwheel and added a few other pieces and made this frame.  I used a lot of retired colors in making this frame - Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, and Certainly Celery - a few of my favorite colors.

close up of pieces in frame

Spring Sampler Frame

Yesterday I decided to make a second sampler to fit in the same frame.  By the way, I bought this frame at Wal-Mart for about $12.  I am going to offer this sampler as a class and having the two samplers, the gals can pick the squares they want to make for their own sampler.

This second sampler uses In Colors - Coastal Cabana, Pistachio Pudding, Cantalope Crisp and Baked Brown Sugar.

Close up

In Color Spring Sampler

So what do you think?  Would you like to sign up for this class??

What You Can Create With MDS2

When we went to Ashley's for Christmas, she asked to use my computer and My Digital Studio so she could create a couple of gifts for two of her friends.  I was thrilled because I had bought her MDS2 for her birthday (Dec 22) and wasn't sure if it was actually something she wanted or would use.  Well, I'm happy to say I was wrong and she is enjoying MDS2.  These are the two gifts she made for her friends. They are quotes from songs (I think!)  Ashley designed them and then took them to an office supply store and had them printed on white card stock.  After framing them, they were ready to go.  They really turned out great!

Wouldn't this look cute in a baby's room?

I designed a date frame for Jeff and Darcie.  Instead of framing it (and risk it getting broken in the mail), I just sent them a gift certificate so they could purchase a frame in the color they wanted.  I love it!  It lists all the dates of importance to them and their family.  It was so easy to create with MDS2.  Now I need to do one for myself.  Don't you think this would make a great anniversary gift for someone special?

 Here is another page I created.  This is Stampin' Up's Statement of the Heart.  I found something similar to this on Pinterest and went from there with it.  There are so many great ideas on that site!  You could spend hours "surfing."  I get a lot of my inspiration from there.

Our weather is supposed to be wicked on Friday.  So much so that we have decided to cancel the MDS2 class I was doing in Kernersville and reschedule later in February.  The schools in my county are dismissing at 10:00 .... why they are even bothering, I don't know!!  The bad weather is supposed to hit around 4:00 - freezing rain and ice.  The temps are not supposed to be above freezing all day with the lows hoving in the teens.  But, on Saturday, a high of 40 so who knows!  Guess I will be bundling up and doing some stamping for fun for a change.  I am expecting a SU box of goodies Friday afternoon so that should do the trick!   I just hope the weather holds out until AFTER I play Hand & Foot tomorrow!!