Happy Halloween!

Do you celebrate Halloween? Typcially we have jack o lanterns, but alas, my pumpkin patch died while we are at one of those shows (boo hooo!!!!!)...and I find it hard to give the price they are asking for pumpkins these days, so no jack o lanterns this year.... I did buy some candy JUST IN CASE we have a Trick or Treater grace our doorstep...although that's very unlikely. I mean what child wants to trick or treat with a miles walk in between each house? LOL... I think not. Good thing I like the candy I bought huh? LOL
I think we'll just settle in tonight and watch some scary movies...that'll be celebration enough! So no matter how you celebrate Halloween, I hope it's "fang-tasatic!"

Glow in the Dark....eek!

Are you ready for Halloween? Have you made your jack-o-lantern yet? That's my favorite part, making a jack-o-lantern, I'm really a kid at heart...then I love seeing the pumpkins (cuz I can't make JUST ONE! Heavens no!) all aglow along my porch....anyway, back to the business at hand...

Here's a card for the Card Sketch a Day blog. The moment I saw the sketch I knew exactly what I wanted to do with a Halloween theme.... Glow in the Dark EYES in a window....oooooooo! However finding Glow in the Dark paper proved next to impossible (even with internet searching), I did finally find some...but with shipping it was going to be $15...and I needed about 4" worth... so I did the next best thing, Glow in the Dark PAINT and make my own paper. Finding the paint was difficult, but I finally did at WM, it's made by Plaid. I used 3 coats on glossy paper...I let each coat dry overnight (so it was awhile in the making of the paper)...I probably could have gone a few more coats, but I was anxious to see the results! Here's what the Plaid Glow in the Dark paint looks like:

Here's the card in "regular" daylight.

Here's the card in the dark. I wish the picture could have turned out a little better, I had trouble taking the picture...my camera seems to want High Levels of LIGHT to take the picture (hmmm....go figure! LOL) . The eyes in the pumpkin glow, as well as the word eek and the eyes in the window.

Recipe

• Stamps: Inkadinkadoo Cats & Bats sentiment
• Paint: Plaid Glo Away
• Ink: Stampology Onyx
• Embellishments: Pumpkin MM Spellbound, tear drop punch, Cricut Opposites Attract at 1"
  
  

Happy Halloween Challenge

At Card Sketch A Day blog (see the link to the right) there was a challenge...and I took the challenge...first thing this a.m.! Go see the sketch...this is my take on it... I just love Inkadinkdo's Cats and Bats stamp set as well as my Cuttlebug Embossing folders! This was a fairly quick make...although I had something else first that didn't turn out quite as I had hoped...anyway...enjoy!

Recipe:

• Stamps: Inkadinkado Cats and Bats, Studio G
• Ink: Stampology Onyx
• Ribbon: Grosgrain
• Embossing: Cuttlebug Swirls
• Paper: Black (from my stash), Orange Reminisce
  

Hoppy Birthday to You

Aren't these little froggies just the cutest? This is another card from my Mental Health Day...LOL... using Close To My Heart stamps, this card went to my BFF's sample basket. I wanted to keep it simple and fun! Paper is from my stash (love to use my scraps!)

• Ribbon: American Crafts
• Punches: Square CM, Scallop Fiskars Treading Water

Pumpkin Trio

The minute I saw this sketch, I had this card in mind. I love how it turned out...very fall like. It was supposed to be more Halloween related, but I think it's just more fall like. Anyway, I had a blast making it. I circle punched the pumpkins (3 circles per pumpkin), chalked the edges, glued them together and then added the swirl starting from the top, I then added two leaves and cut those out and added them (plus the stem!). The divine swirls embossing folder from Cuttlebug seemed to be the final touch for this card. Be sure to drop by Card Sketch a Day (see link to the right) to see everyone else's work on this sketch!

Recipe:

Cardstock: Imagine That

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Vintage Photo

Punches: EK Success Circles 1 1/8" 1 1/4" 1 3/8", Fiskars Treading Water

Stamps: Autumn Leaves Swirl, Studio G (Mike's $1) Leaf, Hero Arts Sentiment

Ribbon: Grosgrain

Chalk: Pebbles Pearlescent

While away, the mice will play

So we've been gone for about two weeks, before I left, I made sure the refrigerator was empty, the trash taken out, all crumbs removed, basically, anything that would make this place attractive to those of Mickey's relations...all to no avail. The first night we are home, we get home late and fall asleep immediately upon our return. The next day I keep catching something out of the corner of my eye during the day...not thinking much of it, I return to my computer duties (bookwork to be caught up on)...and then it happens...Mickey pokes his little nose out of my printer...which is eye level and sits to the right of me....now as I retrieve my heart out of my throat, I do the only thing I can think of...I send something to the printer thinking the noise will drive the little devil back to where he came from... My page prints completely...no sign of Mickey and I go back to my computer work...at LEAST an hour later, he has returned...sitting on his hind legs staring at me eye to eye as if to say "na na na na, you can't catch me" and returns inside my printer...at this point I grab the printer and the nearest dog and start shaking the printer...which Mickey eventually falls out onto the dogs foot, who looks at it with no interest and goes back to chewing on it's bone... "oh my hero" (rolling my eyes)...sigh... It's a good thing I'm self-reliant...LOL I was hoping for a truce while we were gone...but alas, our battle continues...quite frankly, at this point, we're losing! ugh!

Close To My Heart

I needed a girls night out (mental therapy night is what we dubbed it) with my BFF Chris, and so, since she is new CTMH demonstrator, I decided to help her fill her samples baskets. So we got together Friday night, and while we each only made 5 cards in about 6 hours, we got some much needed Mental Therapy...LOL...so below are cards made with CTMH stamps and stamp pads and papers I had in my stash....

• Ribbon: American Crafts
• Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Swirls
• Punches: Nesatability Die, CM Circle Punch

• Ribbon: Big Lots
• Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Textile
• Punch: Nestabilities

Fence Tutorial

So you've returned, so glad you could come back! :) I used Inkadinkado's Cats and Bats stamps on this card, but I had one minor problem, I don't have a fence stamp...what's a girl to do? Make her own fence of course! So hopefully this tutorial is easy to follow along...

Below is the finished product:

Recipe:

• Stamps: Inkadinkado Cats & Bats
• Ink: Stampology Onyx
• Paper: Vellum and cardstock I have in my "stash"
• Other: Glue Dots (for the vellum, which I tucked behind the card), Paper Shapers Corner Punch, Black Marker, Martha Stewart Glue and Black Glitter
  
  

Here's the fence tutorial.

So I start off with a 1/4" strip of paper and my paper shapers Corners punch.

Then I slip my paper into the punch, centering the paper with the arrow (as seen below)...and punch!

And Voila...you have a piece of the fence!

After this point, I ran them through my Xyron "X", placed them on the card and then trimmed them down. I then drew in the connecting fence with a black marker.

Happy Haunting

This card is using a sketch from Card Sketch A Day. I used Inkadinkdoo Cats and Bats stamps, they are soooo spooky!

Today's card uses the baby wipe technique (this is before I found my long lost brayer)...and the basics of it is that you put reinker on the corner of your baby wipe and drag it across a piece of glossy paper...since I didn't have reinkers, I just pushed the baby wipe into the corner of my stamp pad and did it that way. I'm very pleased with the results!

Recipe:

• Stamps: Inkadinkado Cats & Bats senitment, CTMH retired autumn trees
• Paper: Unknown...took it from my enormous stash!
• Ink: Stampology Onyx, Martha Stewart Pastel, Mary Uchida for the background
• Punch: EK Success
• Other: Foam bat embellishment

Be sure to come back tomorrow, I have my first tutorial and another card using this same sketch!

Birthday Blooms

Here's my 1st card the for Card Sketch A Day, I love the scallops on this one! I also put a brad in the middle of my buttons, I think they turned out pretty cute! Recipe is below for those that want the dirty details! Enjoy!

Recipe:

Paper: SU Pretty in Pink

Punches: Scallop and floral, Martha Stewart

Stamp: Close to my Heart (this is an older, retired stamp)

Embossing: Cuttlebugs Swiss Dots

Other: White buttons, glittered brads, organza ribbon (sources unknown..sorry!)

We have RETURNED...

...a day earlier than expected, but only because I really wanted to COME HOME! LOL...
K got to show his "debut" horse and was seen by a lot of the "right" people, he didn't place, but got some good face time in on a great horse. That same horse made the semi-finals with her owner (quite an accomplishment) and we had another finalist at the show. Now this may not seem like a "big" deal, but we're talking classes of 100+ people/horses and some of the best in the country were there, so it really is a big deal.
The hours were horrendous, my sleep schedule is completely out of whack and I'm still a walking zombie.
K's rib is better, but since the colder weather has come on, bothers him more right now. He IS able to bend over now...it was really touch and go the first few days of the show.
We were so busy while we were there, we were looking at horses to buy, showing horses to sell, and then just getting ready to show. Some nights we only managed 3 hours of sleep...and never really got a full 7 or 8 until last night when we pulled in the drive at about 10ish.
It's a small miracle we didn't come home with another dog. I've always wanted a mini aussie and there were people at both ends of our aiselway selling them...I consider it my biggest accomplishment (not buying one)...one of the clients was telling me she was getting us one for Christmas (I think we dodged that bullet LOL). Our friends weren't so lucky and they purchased the cutest english bull dog and at my urging named her "Beans"...strange name you think...not really, when their other dog is named pork (and trust me, THAT's an appropriate name for that dog! LOL)...so now they have Pork n Beans... (I'm so clever...ha ha!)
Well, I have about 10 days worth of laundry to catch up on, and K would probably like something more than just Mustard for lunch/dinner, so I must visit the grocery store.
So until I've regained my sanity...LOL...

We're Outta Here...but a card before I go...

...broken rib (K) and all, we're going...we'll be gone until October 25...that's ONE LONG HORSE SHOW with really STRANGE hours! We'll be riding during the day and into the wee hours of the morning (like 3 a.m. to 5 a.m.). We do this to get our horses familiar with the show pen and this is the only time that there isn't a show going on! It makes for some really weird sleeping habits. I have learned how to sleep upright in stadium seating (and unfortunately, I'm not the only one that does it! LOL!)



Anyway, here's the card as promised... I made a circle card, I thought that would be fun! The center of the pumpkin is a circle cut down, first I cut out the circle and then I recut it into the shape it is...it was really easy and really fun! The leaves are from some silk flowers I have for just this type of occasion. Enjoy!







Recipe:

• Paper: My stash
• Stamps: Autumn Leaves Swirls
• Embellishment: Making Memories (happy halloween), Leaves (from silk flower) ribbon from HL

Bronco Billy Strikes Again

Several weeks ago, one of the two year old horses (i.e. young horse, 1st year in training), bucked me off...and I felt like a complete idiot, didn't hurt anything really but my pride and got the wind knocked out of me (I was also sore for a couple of days)...well I dubbed this horse "Bronco Billy" (I got this name from a character in a stamping set...see scrapping/stamping are in my life all.the.time.)
Anyway, Sunday, K and I decided to take a few horses over to a friend's house, we had one horse for sale and 2 younger horses (Bronco Billy being one of them). We rode, and then it was Bronco Billy's turn, and boy was he looking GOOOOOOD, and then it happened, another horse was playing and Bronco Billy thought that looked like fun, so he went to hopping and broncing (think Bronc horses...it looked very much like a postcard), K stayed on for the 1st two rounds, but the 3rd round as K was coming down, Bronco Billy was going up and they met...we heard an OOOOF...and then K pitched off the side and landed fairly softly on the ground. Bronco Billy headed for the hills...
K now has a broken rib (11th rib on his back for those of you "in the know") and it's basically painful to BREATH...soooo....everything has fallen to me, and I mean everything...down to picking his shoes up off the floor because it's too painful to bend over to pick them up, to cleaning all the stalls, riding all the horses, packing everything for the upcoming horse show...well you catch my drift.
We leave for a 2 week horse show Friday, I'll have to prepare all the horses, pack and possibly show his "debut" horse at this horse show (that's killing him more than anything)...
So if I'm noticably absent from my blog...well my plate's a bit full for right now, but not to fear, I'll return soon...in the mean time, say a little prayer for K that he heals quickly and is able to show his "debut" horse...this horse could really boost his career and our lively-hood.

Fly like an Eagle

So a client and I went to look at a horse...in Minneapolis (the horse actually lives in North Dakota)...however we needed to get to Minneapolis (that's Minnesota for those that are geographically impaired). My client tried all the airlines, without a non-stop flight that was resonable...I'm sorry $700ish EACH from Indy to Minneapolis is NOT reasonable. So she did the next best thing...she chartered a plane...this is the lady with connections...remember? So yesterday we flew in a Cessna 3-seater plane from our little town to Minneapolis... it was really neat, a little chilly and loud, but really neat non-the-less.

The above is me, at our fuel stop in Wisconsin...it was REALLY cold in Wisconsin!

Here's what I learned about flying in a small plane:

• They are noisy and thank god for noise cancelling earphones!
• The back seat is COLDDDDDDDD, I had a blanket, yeah!
• The scenery is AMAZING.
• Our plane was made in 1948 (so it was older than all of us! new engine though)
• We flew 500 miles...4 hours going, 3 1/2 coming back (tailwind made the difference)
• Going to Minneapolis we stayed around 1400 - 2000 feet, coming back we were at 11,000 feet

Here's a few pictures from our "trip" yesterday:

This above is of farm ground around Indiana/Illinois...notice how SQUARE it is?

The above is farm ground in Wisconsin...MUCH more interesting...but they are also very hilly! The reason they do this is because their soil will erode away without some creative farming. I think it looked almost elegant, it reminded me of pictures I have seen of english gardens.

And the above is the REASON we went... and yeah, she bought the horse... Jacks R Really Lucky and Janet...Jack and Janet...doesn't that have a ring to it? She's hating every minute of it, can't you tell (wink!)

I know we got her a GREAT horse, the owner was bawling, they love him so much...he's getting a great home with just as much love....1, 2, 3.....AWWWWWWWWWW LOL

For Pity's Sake, Smile ALREADY!

So over the weekend I had to be the photographer for one of our client's horses we are putting for sale on the internet (yes, you can sell a horse on the internet...just not ebay). So we primped the horse, put on it's most silvery, sparkly apparel and took it to a somewhat scenic area to take it's picture. Now when you take a horse's photo, there's more to it than just standing the horse there and snapping away. First you have to make sure it's body is symmetical, it's standing square, and that it opitimizes what you're advertising, for a western pleasure horse you want the horse standing with it's head kind of down...for a halter horse, it's head needs to be up. And for all of this, the horse needs to "SMILE" in horse language (i.e. it's ears need to be pricked forward...that's a smile in horse language).

Our horse was rather bored with it's whole photography session. I tried having the client getting the horse to smile or at least look somewhat interested...she tossed dirt in the area, flipped a rope around, made strange sounds...to no avail...so we switched places...I tried tapping the horse on the nose, made a ribbit sound, picked a weed and tried to bribe such a horse...NOTHING... and then I took the weed and waved it BEHIND my head (in front of my head didn't do a thing)...and we had the horse's attention...for about 5 seconds....which was good enough for session one... and about 2 pictures

Ho hum...one bored horse....

Then we had the second session to go...and I got the brilliant idea of getting a scoop of grain...oh we had the horses attention then...and the client forgot to turn the camera on...so we try again and this time the horse knows what's in the scoop, so we REALLY had it's attention, so much so that it wouldn't stand still long enough to be photo'd...why is it we go from one extreme to another...LOL...well, we did get some good pictures...we only had to take about 100...LOL

See how well grain works? I have her total attention!

Happy Birthday Butterflies

This is another card I did for Card Sketch A Day, the butterflies are made of vellum. I found this really neat paper pad I hadn't brought out in awhile and it really inspired the elegnat feel to this card. I used the outside edges of pop dots to make the butterflies a little more 3-D as well as bent their wings a little. I add Martha Stewarts pearl stickers for their bodies.

Recipe:
Paper: K & Company, CTMH, Vellum Unknown
Ink: Colorbox
Stamp: Daisy Bucket Lable, CTMH Happy Birthday Script
Punch: Martha Stewart Butterfly
Other: Martha Stewart Pearl Stickers, Pop Dots