Butterfly, Butterfly

I've been on a butterfly quest today!  Over the past few months, I've seen a lot of Butterfly Easel Cards on different sites.  I always thought they were pretty but never was inspired to make one .... until today.  And I made three different ones today.   The cards are made using Stampin' Up's Butterfly Die and the Big Shot.

This is the side view. 

This is the smallest butterfly easel card.  I used Rich Razzleberry cardstock and ran it through an embossing die.



This one is a the largest butterly.

This card uses Pink Passion (retired) and some DSP that Judy gave me.

I made a card and incorporated the easel butterfly into it.  I slid the easel portion behind the Top Note.  This is going to be a club card this week.  The card base is Elegant Eggplant.  The butterflies are made with Eggplant, River Rock and Melon Mambo which were run through different embossing folders.

Monday Mailers for May 2011

Sorry there was no post yesterday.  Blogger was down last night so I wasn't able to post anything.  It's gotten pretty warm here .... well warm for us anyway - in the 80's.  I finally couldn't stand it any more and switched on our A/C yesterday - mainly because of the humidity.  We've had some rain this week and the air is really thick outside now.  I know my Texas friends wouldn't consider our temps as hot nor would Ashley where it is already in the 90's in Mosul.  Luckily, Ashley has been able to get a vehicle so she is not having to walk everywhere she goes.  They will be moving her clinic in the next few weeks and she tells me it will be about 1 1/2 miles from her living quarters so the vehicle will definitely come in handy!  Her attitude has not been the greatest since she returned from her R&R and I think she is marking off the days with a vengence!  August can not get here quick enough for her.  Most of the people she has been working with in the clinic have left by now and she has a new staff.  She is the only one of the medical staff that ended up having to stay for a year - the rest only had a 6-month rotation so that is not sitting well with her ... coupled by some respect issues she is running into.

Just a quick comment about American Idol before I share my cards.  I was quite shocked last night when James was voted off!!  When they announced it, Lauren and Scotty were upset, and Haley almost had a smirk on her face.  James sang one last song for us and kissed his wife in the crowd.  I thought James' performance on Wednesday night was the best of the night.  I put a lot of the blame on the 3 judges.  These judges have done a huge misjustice to the contestants by not being truthful in their comments. They seem to be afraid to step on anyones toes by giving them a bad review. All they can do it seems, is praise them, even though at times, some of the performances were horrid!!!..... Then the voters vote accordingly it seems to me.  I think the voting procedure needs to be restructured. The title is Scotty's to lose now.  I thought  it would be between Scotty and James for the final two.  Both were true to themselves and stood out each week. Biggest shock to me since Chris Daughtry went out in week 4 several years ago.  But, Durbin is better off not winning ... just like with Daughtry, the people who will buy his music are more likely to accept him now.

One more thing - Last night they showed a Steven Tyler video...so this year has been odd, videos by J-Lo, video by Steven, a book by Steven, makes ya wonder who they were marketing, the Idols or the judges? Just sayin' that's all.
OK - stepping off my Idol soapbox!

Here are the Monday Mailers so far this month:

Paper Pieced Sock Monkey - The first card I mailed to Tina.

Supplies:

• Paper:   Whisper White, Pacific Point, Real Red; Celebrations DSP 
• Ink:   Black
• Stamps:  Loads of Love; Sock Monkey, Sock Monkey Accessories
• Punches:   Circle Punch - 1 3/8" and 1 3/4"
• Accessories:  Buttons, Red Grosgrain Ribbon; Celebrations Accents; Stampin' Dimensionals

Printed Petals - Card #2 to Tina

Supplies:

• Paper:   Whisper White, Real Red; Sahara Sand; Daffodil Delight; Pear Pizazz
• Ink:    Real Red
• Stamps:  Printed Petals; Oval All
• Punches:   Ovals; Bird Punch
• Accessories:  Scallop Square Sizzix Die, Antique Brad; Finial Press Emb. Folder

Card being opened

Card completely opened.

Card #1 received from Becky

 Isn't this card the greatest?!!  I just love it.  She cut the boat out separately and popped it up with dimensionals.  This is the single stamp in the Summer Mini on page 11 - Sail Away

Card #2 from Becky

This DSP speaks for itself!  This is the paper on page 23 of Summer Mini - Beyond the Garden.

Becky sent me 2 cards this week - she didn't think the 1st card (Beyond the Garden DSP) was good enough!

This is a great card also.  I wasn't going to argue with Becky - I loved receiving both cards but it wasn't necessary!!  Don't you love how she punched the bird using the DSP (sneak peek - Paisley Prints).

Final Four Idols

Lots of drama last night as the final four perform hoping to be the TOP THREE next week!  The big prize - the hometown visit - is at stake this week.  They are all headed home, but only three will return to perform next week.  This theme week is a double bonus.  Phase #1 is Songs That Inspire You.  Phase #2 is songs by Leiber and Stoller mentored by Lady GaGa. 

James starts out singing "Don't Stop Believing"  He did a good job and as usual, all the judges ate it up and loved it.

Haley sang an unknown song written by Michael Jackson - The Earth Song.  Wow, did she get the judges stirred up!!  Randy pretty much hated it; J-Lo thought it was not a good song choice; and Steven loved it!  Haley pretty much gave them a major dose of attitude.  I can’t see Haley surviving, and she would be wrong to put all the blame on the judges. Haley has shown in flashes that she is an amazing vocalist and her duets with Casey were highlights of the show. Very much at risk this week.

Scotty sang the 9/11 song, "Where Were You"   He did a good job and got a little emotional.  Scotty gets points for smart song choice. Scotty is only 17 and will be a country legend at some point. Cheryl Crow said it best when she said she can't wait for him to get to Nashville. This young man is the whole package and I can hardly wait for his CD’s and concerts.

Lauren sang "Anyway"  She started out rough but her vocals got much better.  I didn't care for her outfit but of course, Steven did!  The judges loved her.

At the break, Ryan asked JLo who won Round One.  As has happened all year, she wouldn't commit.  But Randy speaks up and picked James, Scotty and Lauren and told Haley she needed to step up her game.  Another attitude moment for Haley!

The second round is mentored by Lady GaGa.  OMG!!  Can't wait to see what advice she gives Scotty!!

First up is Haley singing "I Who Have Nothing"  I love her dress!!  She pulled out the stops on this one .... good for her!!  She got a standing ovation!!  It was one of the best performances of the year.  Like they say, she is in it to win it!!  I’m glad that she finally got the props she deserves.  However, it all feels a little “day late dollar short” from this judging panel.

Scotty sings "Young Blood"  by The Coasters.  His performance was great but I sure wouldn't have picked that song!  But he was very comfortable on stage and you got to see two sides of him.  The thing I noticed in this performance is Scotty appears to be perfecting his stage presence.  The vocal was just another Scotty status quo, but I see growth in his performance.  I think Lady GaGa was a little too way out for Scotty!! 

Lauren sings "Trouble"  After Lauren’s appearance in the bottom 2 last week, she needed to pull out the big guns, and neither of her performances really did it for me tonight.

James sings The Clovers, "Love Potion."  

He gets the props for best stage performance, I will give him that. But he has to be careful because there are always bum notes from him when he gets too excited and jumping around the stage.  And he never gets called on this.  But I will give him credit for the entertainment factor. 

This is a tough week to predict. There’s no clear loser or winner this week. The judges were terribly hard on Haley, so that could send her home. I mean they’re clearly trying to achieve that, especially Randy. But she’s picked up so many fans during the past couple weeks. Lauren was in the bottom 2 last week, so she may be the most obvious person to go home. BUT her fans could’ve been scared into voting after her bottom finish last week. So maybe Haley will actually go home. Or maybe something crazy will happen and James will leave. Nah. It’ll be Lauren or Haley.

MDS & Hybrid Cards from Summer Mini

My Summer Mini goodies won't arrive until Friday.  I can't wait!!  In the meantime, I bought a few of the images for My Digital Studio.  That is such a good way to get the images for a low price - usually under $5.  The following cards are made either totally with My Digital Studio or by printing off the images and making the card with the printed images.

This card uses the printed image.  I printed the ship from The Open Sea in Not Quite Navy.   The background paper is also from My Digital Studio.  The card is Cherry Cobbler.  I used my distressing machine (that Marianne gve me) to fray the edges of the card.

This card was made in My Digital Studio.  See how the ship is smaller?  I like it that you can manipulate the size of the images in MDS.

This is a hybrid card .... I printed out the surfboards and shells from MDS and made the card.  I tore the Crumb Cake cardstock and stamped it with my Itty Bitty Background stamp.  The surfboards are printed in Peach Parfait, Wild Wasabi and Melon Mambo and match my background paper great!  The DSP is from an old stack that I had in my stash of paper.

This card was done totally with My Digital Studio.  I love the combo of Melon Mambo and Bermuda Bay (which is a retired color).

The Summer Mini catalog offers an express version of My Digital Studio.  Read about it HERE.  Anyone who purchases My Digital Studio Express can always add the full content available later by purchasing the My Digital Studio Express Booster Pack, adding $500 worth of content.

National Scrapbook Month

In honor of National Scrapbook Month, I did a few pages today.  I used My Digital Studio to make these pages using pictures from our recent trip.  I am going to make it a goal to do several pages each week.

 

Happy Birthday to a Special Boy

Yesterday was my niece's son's birthday.  Jacob turned 8 yesterday.  Wow!  Hard to believe she has a child that old!  Melinda (my niece) is the same age as Ashley and lives in Texas.  I've kind of become her second mother since my sister passed away and hate that we are so far away from them.  She has done a great job raising her two boys.  Jacob is the most polite and mature eight year old you will ever meet.  Hope he enjoyed his card as much as I did making it .... and the treat tucked away inside!

I swear it took me almost a whole day to make this card but it was worth it!!  I love it.  I sponged a lot on this card - the sky, the grass, and the cupcakes. 

Supplies:

• Paper:   Whisper White, Brillant Blue, Bashful Blue, Crumb Cake, Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Peach Parfait
• Ink:   Black; Soft Suede; Real Red, Always Artichoke
• Stamps:  Bugs and Kisses, Party Hearty, Tart and Tangy (cherry); Watercolor Minis (for grass)
• Punches:   Tag Punches
• Accessories:  Stampin’ Sponges,  Dimensionals,  1/4" Circle Punch; Crimper; Pearl Pen (Viva); Scallop Punch

Happy Mother's Day

I hope all you mother's out there are having an enjoyable day and were able to spend it with your children.  I got to talk to my daughter this morning and she wished me a Happy Mother's Day.  Unfortunately, didn't hear from my son.  I didn't expect to but one can hope, can't she?

We met my sisters and my mom in Mooresville this afternoon and had a great day.  We had lunch at Sonny's BBQ where mom's ate free so that was nice.  Then we went over to a new wing restaurant that had opened to try out their desserts.  We all had chocolate chip cookies with chocolate sauce and ice cream served warm in a small frying pan .... except for Sonny who had fudge brownie with ice cream.  Needless to say, I think we all needed wheelbarrows to roll us out!!  Sonny won't have to worry about finding something for us for dinner that's for sure!

Now that I have given all my Mother's Day cards out, I can share the last ones that I gave to some special mothers locally.

 This is a 5 1/2" square card that I made for Brenda at Stamper's Alley.  I used the big flowers from the SU Sizzix Die (Flower Fold) in Melon Mambo and Regal Rose DSP.  The spinner wheel is from the Occasions Mini (Take A Spin).  I sure hope this stamp set makes it into the big catalog this summer!  The leaves are petals that I ran through my crimper.  I also pierced the card all along the edges.

This card I made for my Mom.  She kept fingering the flower trying to figure out how I made it!   If you missed the directions, you can find them HERE.

This is the card I made for my sister - in purple of course!!  The stamp set is Because I Care, a Level 1 Hostess set.  The card is Concord Grape.  The Certainly Celery pieces sticking out of the sides of the Top Note is the Curly Label punch cut in half.

 This card is the same as Marianne's (above) EXCEPT for the flower!!  I CASE'd this flower from Kristeen Gill whom I came across while blog-surfing.  I love this card but it will probably not be one I make again or any time soon!  It would also need a special box to send it.  Luckily, I was delivering this one to my neighbor and friend, Judy so just put it in a cello bag and took it to her.

For the flower, I cut a syrofoam ball in half and sanded the bottom to get it as smooth as possible.  I punched a bunch of small flowers with the Itty Bitty Shapers Punch Set.  (I just got these punches and don't know what I did before!!)  I sponged the flowers with Baja Blue.  To get them to curl up, I used my stylus and a piece of foam and pressed the flowers in the middle.  Then I sponged the tips in Marina Mist.  I inserted them into the styrofoam ball with straight pins with the pearl heads.  I had to cut about half of the pin off with wire snips because they were too long.  Oh - I also put a layer of  glue on the styrofoam ball before inserting the pins to make sure they would stick.

Mothers Day Cards

I've been busy the past few days working on my Mother's Day cards.  I don't know why I always wait until the last minute to do these things!!  Oh well, makes life interesting!

Supplies:

• Paper:  Pink Pirouette, Melon Mambo, Whisper White
• Ink:  Melon Mambo
• Stamps:  Medallion, All Holidays
• Dies:  Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die, Elegant Bouquet & Tulip Embossing Folders
• Accessories:  Stampin’ Sponges,  Dimensionals, 1 3/4" Circle Punch

Supplies:

• Paper:  Whisper White, Springtime Vintage DSP (retired), Cherry Cobbler, Wild Wasabi
  
• Ink:  Cherry Cobbler
• Stamps:   All Holidays
  
•  Accessories:  Bird Punch, non SU punch, XL Oval Punch, Sponge Daubers

Notice how I cut away the top of the Label Punch to simulate a vase!

Supplies:

• Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Pear Pizzaz, Whisper White
  
• Ink: Black, Markers:  Pear, Cherry Cobbler
• Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes; Four Frames
  
• Punches: Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Bird Punch, 3/4" Circle
  
• Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, Cutter Kit (for distressing), Pearls

This is the paper that you could have ordered last month.  It will be in the 2011-12 catalog.

Supplies:

• Paper:   River Rock, Bravo Burgundy, Paisley Petals DSP
  
• Ink:  Bravo Burgundy
• Stamps:  All Holidays
  
• Dies:  Spellbind
  
• Accessories:   Daubers, Rhinestones

Supplies:

• Paper:    Whisper White, Peach Parfait, non SU DSP
  
• Ink:  Peach Parfait
• Stamps:   All Holidays
• Punches:  XL Oval, Bird Punch
  
• Accessories:  Stampin’ Sponges,  Dimensionals, 

This is a non-SU card that I watercolored with my markers and used Stickles for sparkle!

Idol - Top 5 - 2011

Only five left! We’re getting down to the wire. I’m always a little bit sad when a season of American Idol draws to a close, how about you? I was excited that they each got to perform twice last night. There were some surprises, and I found myself disagreeing with the judges a few times. 

Sheryl Crow was the guest mentor and the theme was “Now and Then” — they each sang a current song and one from the 1960s.   I really didn't think Sheryl Crow added much to the night!

James sang Closer to the Edge.   His voice got lost in the background music or something.   The other singers didn’t sound like that. It was weird, but the judges loved it so I have to assume it sounded better live. He was good and I'm starting to think he has a good shot at winning this thing.

Jacob sang No Air. I love this song, but not on Jacob, and the judges felt the same way. They kept telling him it’s about finding the right song.  Jacob is getting a little old for me.  Let's see what he does with his second song.

Lauren sang Flat On the Floor.  I think she could have taken it further, but it was a great fit for her voice and she did a respectable job with it.

Scotty was in his element last night singing Gone.  He reminded me why we all fell in love with him to begin with. It was playful, he was working the stage like an old pro, and it showed his vocal range. I thought he really took his performance power up a notch last night.

Haley sang an unreleased Lady Gaga song, You and I. The judges thought she was taking a risk by doing an unknown song and criticized her but I actually thought it was pretty impressive. I particularly enjoyed the first half.   I thought it really showcased her voice. Haley’s come a long way and I thought the judges were a bit harsh.   And maybe they were right on, but if so, then they were too easy on a lot of the other performances. Sometimes I think the judges are deliberately trying to sway the audience to vote for the ones they want to see make it to the end.

Round Two kicked off with James’ emotional performance of Without You.  There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, or in my chair!   Despite that, the vocals weren’t his best and I can’t help but remember former Idol hopefuls who went home before their time because of one unfortunate performance. I hope James isn’t in danger tonight.

Jacob sang Love Hurts, and while the judges loved it, I thought it was way too… Jacob. The beginning was lovely but by the end I was hoping that Jacob goes home tonight.   I think his time has come.

Lauren sang Unchained Melody, and I’m surprised the mentors let her get away with that. It is just way over used and while parts of it were beautiful, she brought nothing new to it despite the judges saying “there’s nothing to judge.” WHAAA??? Cop out. I think they just didn’t want to be negative. Simon would have been all over that.

Scotty sang Always On My Mind.  Another solid performance and a wise song choice for him. It was totally different from his first song, and like the judges said, it gave us a taste of what a Scotty concert might be like.  I think he secured himself a place in the final four.

Haley closed the show with House of the Rising Sun, which I thought was fantastic. She’s been growing on me in recent weeks, and this clinched it.  She made the song her own.

Best Performer of the Night: Scotty
Bottom Two: Jacob and Haley or James
Going Home: Jacob

I Made A Quilt!!

Well .... a Quilt Card!  My sister is the quilt maker in the family.  I followed a tutorial over on Splitcoast Stampers for making a quilted card and was quite pleased with the end result!

I used pieces of DSP from the Saleabration catalog and Tangerine Tango, Pink Passion (retired) and Tempting Turquoise cardstock.  The ribbon is also from Saleabration.  After putting the "quilt" together, I ran it through the Big Shot with the Finial Press embossing folder.

Here is a picture of my fishermen!  They went out on Lake Norman on our boat on Friday but didn't even get a bite so they didn't have any fish on their lines to show you!

I got a call yesterday from the Red Cross about going to Alabama  for two weeks to help out with the storm damage.  They need about 80 people to be case workers.  They wanted me to leave on Wednesday (today) for two weeks.  I have an obligation on Saturday at Stampers Alley so I was not able to leave that soon.  I told them I could be available on Sunday so we will see if they need me or not.  I would really love to be able to help.  There are so many people that were affected by those tornadoes.  Our Red Cross office here in Lake Norman was already deployed to the eastern part of NC from the tornadoes that we had here a couple of weeks ago.