Merry Christmas

Did you get what you wanted for Christmas?
For me, the question is:  Did you GIVE what you wanted to for Christmas? 

I fell a bit short this year.  Didn't finish as many doll dresses for my niece, Anne, as I had meant to.  Didn't get as many cards or envelopes made for my mother's stash as I meant to.  But there are twelve days of Christmas, after all.

Here are a couple of my favorite cards that went into Mother's box.

At the Gate

Cardstock:  Songbird Duet (Momenta)

Patterned Paper:  Kellerkurtz Company (The Paper Studio)

Stamps:  Garden Girls set (Crafty Secrets)

Dye ink:  Espresso (Ranger)

Colored pencils:  blue, red, orange, olive green (Prismacolor)

Gold Foil Pen (Krylon)

Deckle Scissors (Fiskars)

3-D Flower:  TC Cottage Garden Warm set (K and Company)

 

 

 

Moonlight Skyline

 

Black pre-folded 5 ¼-inch card (American Crafts)

Patterned paper:  Blue Texture (My Mind’s Eye)

Stamps:  International Skyline (Hero Arts); Chelsea Sentiments set (Inkadinkado)

Chalk Ink:  black (Clearsnap)

White pastel pencils (General’s)

Deckle Scissors (Fiskars)

2-inch circle template, made with a Cricket machine or Fiskars Shapecutter 

 

Sympathy cards

Here's an addition to my Calligraphy Cards.  Unfortunately, I've needed to use far too many sympathy cards this year.

Weeping

All stamps used here are from Inkadinkado

Look for this card and others on my shop at thirdsisterhandmade.etsy.com

A Christmas Collection

It's that time of year again.  Time to think about Christmas.  Time to turn on the twinkle lights on the tree as dusk creeps in.  It's time--well, past time, really--to start drawing on this year's Christmas card, for the days go by faster and faster each year. 

This time of year also calls for lots of special little notecards for thank-you  notes and such.  Here's a collection of some of my past favorites.

These snowman cards are offered on my shop at thirdsisterhandmade.etsy.com

 

Here's a snowman from Inkadinkado on a glittery white card.

 

 

 

Here's my favorite from last year...

 

 

A whole gift set!

 

 

This was the first card made with my new Cricut machine, a 2011 Christmas gift from my brother, Mark.

 

 

 

This was an accident that turned into a favorite, using the winter trees stamp from Hero Arts

 

 

Thanks for visiting!

Make it a Merry Christmas!

Calligraphy Greeting Cards

A few days ago, I decided to combine several loves of mine...writing, calligraphy, painting and cardmaking.

The first is inspired by my aunt Nancy.  She always says, "Love you more," as we say our goodbyes on the telephone.  If I beat her to it, she counters with "Love you MOST!"

Hydrangea stamp from Hero Arts

Love You More

So far, this is one of my favorites. 

flower stamp from Hero Arts

One Seed

Here's a birthday card created for my friend and godmother, Karon.

Girl jumping rope stamp from flonzcraft.com

Sweet Childish Days

A Green Tree

Today
(using another favorite stamp from flonzcraft.com)

The Welcome

 I'll be gradually adding more to the collection and listing them for sale on my shop at:

www.thirdsisterhandmade.etsy.com

Thanks for visiting!

Autumn Version

I had a request for this same sonnet with a different illustration--an anchor and autumn-colored leaf...

 

...and I didn't hesitate to take up the challenge--a good excuse to pull out my watercolor pencils again.

 

 

 

the finished product

 

I practiced several anchors before being pleased with this one.

 

 

 

watercolor leaves

I love to do these!

 

This item is now for sale for sale on my shop: 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/161903195/hand-calligraphed-and-illustrated-with

 

Convo me to request another item!

Skippin' Rope

This month's Vintage Stamping Challenge, sponsored by flonzcraft.com is                             

 Anything From Your Garden. 

 

This little girl, a favorite new stamp reminding me of my mother as a girl, is skipping rope in her daddy's garden.

To request this or a similar item, convo me at thirdsisterhandmade.etsy.com

Antique Flower

I think...hope!...twenty-six items put my to-do list at an all-time high!  Some of these things are for my Etsy shop, some are gifts I'm working on, and others are personal items, like fall house cleaning.  I love cleaning drawers and shelves and closets, putting everything back in its proper place.   With everything fresh, I'm ready to get back to work.

One item checked off my list is this card for the  Hero Arts Stamp Your Story Inspiration Challenge, inspired by Tami Hartley's "Happy Autumn Window" card, from the September 12th Hero Arts blog.

 

I layered some favorite scraps from my leftovers drawer after tearing and edging them with gold foil.  I love this flower stamp, one of my "incentives" from Hero Arts! 

 



 

Happy Anniversary

For a beautiful couple, my oldest brother, Leo, and his wife, Susan....

.......using my new stamp set, a gift from Hero Arts.  Thanks, Hero Arts!!

 

Happy 25th Anniversary, Leo and Susan!

to request a similar item, visit my shop at thirdsisterhandmade.etsy.com

Watercolor Hydrangeas

Autumn can't come soon enough for me.  I love crisp days, the smell of wood smoke in the air and the crunch of acorns underfoot.  But all the hydrangeas haven't faded yet.  One that's snowy white now will gradually turn the deepest pink you can imagine, just as all the trees in the neighborhood melt into shades of orange and red.

I absolutely LOVE my hydrangea stamp from Heroarts!  I often stamp it with brown and color with colored pencils, but I also like the effect of watercolor pencils.

 

          Cardstock:  ivory (The Paper Studio)

Printed Paper:  SW Botanical stack (K and Company)

Stamps:  Hydrangea (Hero Arts)

                Petals from Scratch set (Fiskars)

Dye Ink:  brown (Tsukineko)

Watercolor pencils:  lavender, sky blue, spectrum blue, grass green, olive green (Derwent)

Deckle Scissors:  (Fiskars)

Cardstock:  kraft

 

Printed Paper:  Life's Journey stack (K and Company)

 

Stamps:  Hydrangea (Hero Arts)

 

Chelsea sentiments set (Inkadinkado)

 

Dye Ink:  bright blue

 

Watercolor pencils:  sky blue, bright blue, olive green (Derwent)

 

Cricut machine

 

George and basic shapes cartridge-tag #1, 4-inch

 

Light blue organza ribbon

 

 

HAPPY FALL!!!!

Another Entry for Monday Challenge

Here's my next entry for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

For this one I used my new vintage fashion stamps from flonzcraft.com

For the card background, I used October Morning's 5 and Dime stack. From off-white cardstock, I cut a 2 1/2-inch shape #3 from my Cricut's George and Basic Shapes.  I cut a silhouette of the same shape from bright yellow.  Polka dot ribbon is from American crafts.  For even more dots, I punched 1-inch circles from off-white and 1 1/4-inch circles from yellow. 

I love the retro feel of it!

Shakespeare Sonnet 116

An etsy convo Monday asked if I'd be willing to calligraph Shakespeare's sonnet 116.  Since then, each day, the poem has grown...

...from several rough drafts...

...to a mapped out plan...

...to a piece ready to illustrate...

 

 

...to the finshed product!

It will eventually be listed a thirdsisterhandmade.etsy.com

Windows

Years ago, when I first discovered real cardstock and bought my first cardmaking books, I saw a few designs with windows cute out in front, and I thought, "What a great idea!"  I had all sorts of pictures in my head.....what I would do with a window card, but I could never actually bring those pictures to life.  I tried cutting a few window myself, but there was always something wrong.  Too big.  Too little.  Too crooked.  You name it. 

Just recently, I found this pack of window cards and envelopes.  Our neighbor must have given up on her creative streak, because she was selling all sorts of cardmaking supplies, calligraphy tools, etc.  At last, I could try out some of my own ideas. 

I wanted a get well card for my oldest brother.  Well, maybe not exactly a get well card, but something cheerful as he's still recovering from his bike accident.

This was my first try, using the vase stamp from the PrintWorks set I love so much.  Leo uses coneflowers in the logo of his Wildflower Custom Instruments    As usual, the flowers I drew quickly on scrap paper turned out much better than those on my actual card.  I always get too nervous and freeze up.

I played around with some scraps and tried again.

For the Monday Challenge

I, too, love all things polka dots.  Can't get enough of 'em.  So I was pleased to see the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.  I'm new to challenges, as most of you can probably tell!   I have to really steel my nerves before I can even post this.

This cheerful birthday card gave me a chance to use up some scraps leftover from earlier projects.

For the base card, I used the "Material Girl" stack from Cosmo Cricket.  I stamped the Fiskars "Petals From Scratch" on the card base and colored flower, leaf and stem with colored pencils.  I stamped the flower again on blue and yellow polka dot scraps from my leftovers drawer.  The vase is from my favorite PrintWorks clear set.  I stamped that on a scrap of clear grey marble paper.

I'd love to do this again.....maybe as a Get Well card.

p.s.  I went to link this to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and came across one option I didn't understand.  I think I did it all wrong, but alas! there's no undoing and starting over, so I don't think my card photo will even show up on the board.  Grrrrrrr!  Oh, well.  I'll know better next time!

**I'd love to hear your comments!  Come follow me!**

Discoveries

Can't wait to tell you all about a great stamp company I've discovered.

Flonz
These clear stamps are unique, old-fashioned and great fun to browse through.  But beware!  It's hard to choose!  My favorites are the vintage fashions, vintage children and Gibson Girls.  I got a sheet of the 60s-style fashions, but so far I haven't had a lot of time to experiment.  This morning I just put in a new order. 

This company is in New Zealand, but the shipping rates are surprisingly reasonable.

Stay tuned!

*Come follow me!  I'd love to hear your comments!* 

Leftovers

I never get ahead.  Seems like each new day brings with it another card-needing occasion.  Not only that, but my scrap drawer is heaped to overflowing.  I can't even shut it anymore!

My challenge?

Create a stack of cards using only leftover materials.  No fair cutting anything new, even for the card base.

 

I made six cards this particular day:  two "Thank You", two "Good Luck" for a couple of kids headed to a new schoo and two general purpose cards.

 

lUnfortunately, I still haven't made much of a dent in that scrap drawer, and I already used half of these cards the same day!

 

**Join my challenge!  What can you make with your leftovers?  Leave your comments and ideas here.  I'd love to hear from you and have you follow me!**

My Big Brother

When I was a little girl going to the movies here I never dreamed that one day my big brother would be up on the marquee.

The old Granada Theater in Downtown Lawrence


Channel 6 news article about Leo's July 19th bike accident

Shower Invitations

My brother's step-daughter is going to have a baby.  John called a couple of days ago and asked if I'd make her shower invitations.  Tori had picked out a design she kinda liked, but he thought I could do better.  (I don't know!)

On a rainy Sunday I toyed with a couple of designs I'd thought about the night before.  First of all, I knew Tori had been interested in a bright pink and black invitation, so I tried that color scheme, and this was the result. 

I might try a boy's version in ivory and pale blue.

Design number two I adapted from a new baby card I'd made a few times several years ago. These little baby faces are so much fun to make!  I think maybe I need to add a bow to baby's blanket.

 

John told me Tori liked the first design.  What do you think?

 

*Leave your comments and suggestions.  I'd love to hear from you!**

Sister

 

 

Susan is much more than a sister-in-law to me.  She's my oldest brother, Leo's wife.  I've known her since I was twelve years old, when she came to the house with a bouquet of prairie flowers for our mother on Mother's Day.

I call her my third sister.

She worked side by side with Leo, building their house, making their home.  I saw her become a mother herself, at the airport taking her adopted son into her arms for the first time, and she radiated joy and love.

These past sixteen days have tested her enormous strength.  My brother was in a bicycle accident and flown to the hospital in Topeka in critical condition.  Susan dropped everything to rush to his side, not even knowing if he was alive, she told me later. She stayed at the hospital with him almost constantly, caring for him as much as any nurse, or perhaps more.

Leo hasn't even been out of the hospital a whole week yet, and he still has a long road of recovery ahead.  But today is Susan's birthday.  This isn't how they meant to spend it.  They were supposed to  be on vacation with the two kids this week.  But Leo is safe.  He's not well, but he'll get well.  And then maybe a song will be back in our hearts.

Happy Birthday, Susan!

 

 

I wanted this bird paper (K&Company's SW Nature stack) for Susan's card, but I hated to cut him up, so I made it into a fold-out card.