Penny Black Happy Birthday Snow

Good evening. Back with another birthday card that took forever to finish (but was fun to color). Some images just seem to color so easily, and ones you'd think would be a breeze, just don't go that well. This is a Penny Black cling stamp, and doesn't this little fella just look as though he's having the most-est fun? Guess I could have taken a better close up view...sorry.

Kai (PB in the snow) - was colored with copics, with a bit of WoS & spica pens. Snowflakes done with a white gel pen, then some Stickles Star Dust. Star Dust on the snow piles. Silver Sakura pen on some of the trims. There's a bit of SnS Twinkling Clouds sprinkled on the snowbanks & the pompoms on Kai's snowsuit for some texture.

- Snippet of glitter paper for the scant black mat, then some SU paper (forget the color) for the 2nd mat. Purple cardbase embossed only at the bottom area, with a snowflake EF, HLS Fun Birthday Sentiments punched out with an SU punch. Used a bit of the snippet black glitter to punch a 2nd layer, cut in half, placed as a semi-mat.

Some rhinestones for bling, and that's it. Very easy card & I don't know why it took me so long to finish it!

Thanks for popping in, and stay cozy where you may be, if the weather is dreadful. See ya soon, big hugs.
************************************************
Blogger News:  Here is some news which I copied from another Blog.  Here's the announcement they made on Blogger Buzz:
In 2011, we announced the retirement of Google Friend Connect for all non-Blogger sites. We made an exception for Blogger to give readers an easy way to follow blogs using a variety of accounts. Yet over time, we’ve seen that most people sign into Friend Connect with a Google Account. So, in an effort to streamline, in the next few weeks we’ll be making some changes that will eventually require readers to have a Google Account to sign into Friend Connect and follow blogs.

As part of this plan, starting the week of January 11, we’ll remove the ability for people with Twitter, Yahoo, Orkut or other OpenId providers to sign in to Google Friend Connect and follow blogs. At the same time, we’ll remove non-Google Account profiles so you may see a decrease in your blog follower count.

We encourage you to tell affected readers (perhaps via a blog post), that if they use a non-Google Account to follow your blog, they need to sign up for a Google Account, and re-follow your blog. With a Google Account, they’ll get blogs added to their Reading List, making it easier for them to see the latest posts and activity of the blogs they follow.

We know how important followers are to all bloggers, but we believe this change will improve the experience for both you and your readers.

Posted by Michael Goddard, Software Engineer

Birthday Flowers

Good afternoon, and I bet you thought I'd gotten lost on the trip back from Florida! Nope, just been busy with stuff.  Before anything else, let me give a belated welcome to Lillian of The Leaf Studio.  Since most of the posts done recently were scheduled posts, I've been remiss in giving a Thank You shout out with a link to Lillian's fantastic blog. Please do take a few moments to hop over, browse around & say Hello to Lillian.

Saw the numbers bump back up on the 'face list', but I can't determine if there's really a new follower, or Blogger is playing tricks and returning some of the followers who disappeared! So if you're a new follower that I've not given a welcome, please do let me know, so I can fix that little thing!!! Also seeing information that Blogger is changing things, so you might want to be sure you have a Google account...I'm not sure I understand all I know about that either!!

Now, to update on the truck problem and the dog problem. Truck needed a catalytic converter replaced (evidently this one has a left & right one..I didn't know that!)...and thankfully it was under warranty. Technician told Mr. we made a good decision to not drive it all the way home. Now for the greyhound update: Camera made its appearance the day after we got home, so at least won't require surgical removal. It had stopped in the stomach area (xrays showed it), so don't know why it didn't continue through the intestines. Also the battery dies after 72 hrs, so no telling what the results up to that time will show. Haven't heard any more news, so guess that means nothing dreadful as yet. And Dallas was eating at least, and sort of resuming her normal behavior.

Since we've been home, it's been busy and then Mr. developed a migraine. So that was a lot of tiptoe around trying to keep the noise down, catch the phone on the first ring, unpacking, trip & normal laundry, and getting the file system for 2016 receipts in place. Our weather was sunny & pretty, but it's been cold. Today it's been awfully windy, but at least sunny.

Now here's a card that was started before leaving for Christmas, and just had not been able to get it finished. (and it will arrive late for the recipient's birthday...alas!)

- Versamark applied with a finger dauber through the openings of a Dreamweaver brass stencil.  (Inspiration came from this pretty card by Our Darnell). Then pulled out some pan pastels, swabbed some chalks around. Easy - except for trying to shade. But I think it turned out fairly well. Had fun, and will try this again with some of the many brass stencils collected over the years.

- Diecut with a Sizzix oval (you can't emboss with these Sizzix dies like with the S/Binder ones). Used the matching Sizzix oval (not quite large enough either) - hand traced the outside of that die, fussy cut.

- some lace, green ribbon as a border over the C/B Swiss Dots embossed background.

- HLS Fun Birthday Sentiments for the SU punched sentiment...added a few rhinestones, and finally got 'er done.

Speaking of which: The HLS January Christmas Challenge (theme is Jingle ) is still going along, so hope you can find time to get a head start on 2016 Christmas card stash, and play along with us!

That's it for me. Thanks for not forgetting me, and I hope I can get caught up enough to finish up a more cards. Been putting together the IKEA Alex cabinets bought some while ago. Five in all....now got to start with the organizing. That will keep me VERY busy!

Stay cozy if it's not such nice weather where you are. Big hugs.

HLS Christmas Challenge - January - Jingle

Hello and welcome to the first HLS Christmas Challenge for 2016...and our challenge theme to start the year is: Jingle

Our challenge is sponsored by  Happy Little Stampers

Winner will receive one stamp set from HLS

 

 

So let's get started on the card I'm sharing for this month's theme:

 

- Elizabeth Craft Cardinal (RS021) - colored with copics and some WoStella;
 diecut with a stitched MFT Oval. Matted with paper from stash (12x12 Paper Studio Christmas Traditions foils, bought a few years ago) using S/B Lattice Motifs.
After image was die cut, masked the outer edge of the oval, and used a mask over the image, stamped with an IO CAC Twas the Night Before text stamp that had been inked with DI Tea Dye.

- Crafters Companion Embossalicious EF - Christmas Merriment - for the white mat directly behind the focal image.

- Silver outline stickers to define the sentiment space - which is stamped with the HLS Mixed Christmas Sentiments. Used SU Real Red, then Ranger's Fine Detail Clear EP over this.

Got a little red smudge off my inky fingers so used Impression Obsession's tiny holly leaves to cut some snippets of a tartan plaid paper and add to the corners. I rather like this one.

HLS has some great stamp sets available, and I'm finding the sentiment sets to be so versatile, with the various sizes & styles of the stamps.  Now do be sure to check out what my fellow DT members have shared for the HLS January Christmas challenge, and perhaps you could win this month's prize stamp set.

Thanks for joining me today, and Happy Stamping. Hugs.

 

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR

 

Update: We got up very early (and you all know how I like early - but we did enjoy a lovely sunrise), packed up the last bits, did the goodby (I did well, for me!) and set off. About 20 minutes on the road, the engine light came on, stayed on. Never happened before, and our truck is fairly newish (3 yrs old) and is maintained well. In fact, just serviced a week before we left home. Stopped, checked all that Mr. knew to check, dug out the owners manual, read....etc. We think (hope!) it is just faulty electronics with the light, BUT....we decided we didn't want to take a chance, perhaps get stranded along the highway. So called the DD, let her know we were coming back. All the places are closed today, but she thinks perhaps the local dealership is open a few hours on Saturday. Had to unload enough stuff to stay another night. Mr. just said, he's not driving over the weekend. Today traffic would have been ok, but not the weekend. I'm thinking perhaps our Guardian Angel was at work, and telling us to stay off the highway today. I do believe things happen for a reason! So talk witcha latah. Hope your overnight celebrations didn'd have any bad repercussions this morning. I watched some awesome fireworks out over the water, as I sat at the laptop watching some videos.



Good Morning! As you read this post, we're on the road back to Upstate South Carolina...sorry to leave the sunny warm climes of South Florida and of course the Daughter. But life has to return to normal, and there it is. We had a lovely Christmas, quiet, but we were together as a family....the folks I love best in all the world, so a real blessing to us all. It was a gorgeous sunny day too.

 Looking forward to the start of the last season of Downton Abbey...which I think is to start on our Public Broadcast Station this Sunday. Perhaps Series 7 Doc Martin too, but I've seen that on Acorn TV already, plus have the dvd set. I'll watch it again though. Love my Doc Martin.

DH & DD went to see the new Star Wars. Since that genre is not something I enjoy, I stayed with the poochies. (One girl has been ill - won't eat, listless - so many vet trips, and still no resolution.) Wednesday was a trip to Sarasota to see a veterinary neurologist, and that night, DD had to get a tiny camera down her throat. Can you imagine this kind of technology? Now they're checking her intestines & stomach.  At least after some tests (think it was an MRI) the neurologist felt confident to rule out a brain tumor-- which we're told could cause some of her symptoms. Dallas was not thrilled to have to swallow the camera, but she was very good about it. Poor dog couldn't have any food 8 hours prior - which is why the vet didn't handle the camera bit; then after it got swallowed, no food until the next morning. Now when she's outside, she has to be watched for when the camera is passed...UGH! DD has a stronger, less squeamish stomach than I do. However, if it is not passed through her system  & found - surgery will be required to remove it. We're hoping she will eliminate it. I was amazed at how well DD handled her baby to get her to swallow this camera, which is about the size of my little finger joint. I worried that the dog would get choked, but she didn't. Hope this is not TMI...I thought it was kinda interesting...had no idea this kind of thing is done with animals.

 

 

I hope that all my blog friends had a good night to celebrate the dawn of a new year. As for me, I can't believe just how fast 2015 sped past. When I was a kid, I'd hear old people (younger than I am now!!!!) talk about how fast time would fly. I was so puzzled, because time moved along slowly to me, 24 hours to the day, 7 days per week, etc. etc. So how could it move any faster than it did? Utter nonsense.  Thought I'd never be 16 years old. Then -- forever  for the 2 yrs until 18...and on to 21. Then my husband was in the service for 4 years......gone overseas for 2 years and we thought that would never end. It did;  ever since then, time just seems to keep moving faster & faster.Our daughter grew up so fast.  My brain tells me, this isn't really true...but good heavens, we just celebrated 2015...and here we are at 2016 awready!!

 

 

Sorry to say I did very little coloring while away. Just dragged along the big copic bag for nothing. I did practice watercolor with the Zig brushes one morning, and it was absolute rubbish. I'm not sure if it was the thickness of the watercolor paper (I think I had stamped on Strathmore 140# paper since my plan was to experiment with different papers). Stamped in black Versafine, embossed with clear. Now I've embossed the images previously that I watercolored with these markers, and was pleased with the results. So I don't think embossing was the problem. I think perhaps the paper OR could be that I just wasn't in the mood.

 

Oh yes, we did manage to go to 2 lovely stamping stores while we were here: Sparkle n Sprinkle (Ruskin)  & WhimSoDoodle  (St. Petersburg). Had some delicious foods at a favorite Italian place (a marvelous old Italian market that also has a scrumptious bakery along with grocery goods and the most delicious sandwiches..yum), and a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant, where the service is as good as the food is. I happen to love most ethnic foods.

 

We've had a relaxing quiet time. Read my kindle - a very good book called Jubilee Trail - very old - by Gwen Bristow. Finally got published in Kindle form, so I saved it to read on this trip. It's set in 1840-s, and about a well bred young lady from New York, who longs for adventure, marries a fella who comes to New York from far off California. Which most people of that time had never heard of. Then they travel back to California, over the Jubilee Trail by mule train. So much hardship. This author has written other books, which I've enjoyed. I tend to read authors, and I love historical fiction, if it's well written. I had read this book as a teenager, enjoyed it immensely, and have read it several times over the years (much like Gone With the Wind...that's a book I have to re-read about every 5-10 yrs). Don't think it's in print, but I did find a hardback on Amazon some years ago, and paid a high price to buy it from a dealer. I had had a copy long years ago, but loaned it out, never got it back. That's about when I decided if I really love a book, I don't loan the hardback. I try to find a paperback. It's lovely to have the story on Kindle. I'm so pleased to see some of my old beloved books now in Kindle format!

 

OK.. enough rambling on with trivia. When we get home, I expect we'll be busy for a few days with the unpacking, collecting the mail, paying bills. Also had our credit card compromised just before we left home; thankfully the bank caught the fraud, so we only got the aggravation of having to get a new card. We do have a backup, but that one is for internet purchases, etc. and has a low limit. So that must be sorted on our return. So maybe I'll be too busy to feel my usual 'down in the dumps' mood from missing the kid!!!

 

Please have a wonderful day, and God Bless you all. I pray that ALL of us will have a good year, and have lots of crafty fun. Hugs