PAPERLICIOUS

A Nursing Home Diversion (and a card)

Note:  Now that Mike is back home I'll ask him to take some photos while I demo the "dots" technique featured in my last post.  In the meantime, here's a card made with the same pencil over ink technique with a slightly different result (more on that coming) and the details on this card too when I have more time.

And the nursing home diversion:

Linda sits with my mom at meals.  A lovely woman who appears to have had a stroke, leaving her with the use of one arm and in a wheelchair.  Linda loves me and looks forward to my visits (which often occur during meal times).  I joined them last night while they ate.  You should know that my Mom's dementia lifted and she is doing much better for now and is completely lucid.

****

Linda:  Oh good, Joan is here.  I have 5 questions for you tonight.  Medicare and Social Security are ending on February 31st.  I need to sell my car to get money.

Me:  I promise you that Medicare and Social Security are still here and are not ending during our lifetimes.

Linda:  Oh good.  Everybody listen.  Joan says Medicare and Social Security are still here.  She's a lawyer so she knows this stuff.

My Mom (to me):  What's the name of that movie?

Me:  (???) Give me a clue mom.

Linda:  I have an account with Red Top cab and need to go out.

My Mom:  (to me):  You know, you know the name of that movie. About that lady?

Me:  The Help?

My Mom:  NO!  The movie with the husband and the wife and how the husband is doing something to her?

Me:  Gaslight?  The guy is trying to make his wife think she is going crazy.

My Mom:  YES.  We have a Gaslight situation.

Linda:  Are you sure about Medicare?

Me:  I'll look it up on my iphone (and I do).

 

Eventually, after about 5 more minutes of this, my Mom and I get up and walk out of the unit to chat alone.

My Mom:  Don't say anything about going crazy in front of Linda!!!!  Linda is going crazy.  Gaslight was my CLUE to you that she is going crazy.

Me:  Mom, I didn't need a clue.  I got it right away.

My Mom:  Oh, I didn't realize.  You have no idea what it is like to talk to someone who is going crazy.

Me:  ????????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

 

Iced Spruce Holly

This card is all about the colors...

Card Construction Details:

1.  Wanted to use the new Ranger Distress inks -- Iced Spruce and Festive Berries (the ones I swore I wouldn't buy). Love them. The Iced Spruce is a gorgeous gray green.

2. Took the white holly leaves left over from a die cut with my Silhouette machine and covered them with Iced Spruce ink.  Stamped the leaves with a Penny Black crosshatch background in gold.  Ditto with the berries (used Festive Berries ink). Sponged edges of leaves and berries with more ink.

3.  Stamped white strip of cardstock with one of the border stamps from Waltzingmouse Nordic Winter and covered another piece with Festive Berries.

4.  Stamped sentiment (from A Muse Studio) in Iced Spruce.  Was glad to get a decent image from distress ink as those inks are not meant for sentiments. 

5.  Adhered as shown and layered on a white card, with the left edge moved all the way to the edge of the card.  Just felt like doing something different from my usual.

MOOD WHEN DONE = Festive!

Substitute Stamping...Debbie's Christmas Tag (and an update on life...)

Found this pretty Christmas tag (scroll down to the second tag) that Debbie Olson made last year and decided to substitute my supplies and make something similar. 

Here is my version:

Card Construction Details: 

1.  Die cut ornament (Memory Box).  Stamped part of Holiday Cheer from Impression Obsession and colored with pencils.

2.  Die cut tag (PTI) and stamped flourishes from Waltzingmouse on to kraft tag.

3. Stamped A Muse Studio sentiment in Versamark and embossed in white. Trimmed and adhered to tag.

4.  Adhered ornament with dimensionals and added Rangers Glossy Accents.

5.  Adhered strip of red cardstock.

6.  Added ribbon (SU) to tag and adhered tag to card. 

7.  Rounded edges of card.

MOOD WHEN DONE = Relaxed from all that coloring.

If you are interested in reading about my Mom and life, read on. Otherwise, hope your week is a good one.

A Muse Studio Farewell

Just a quick note to let you know that I am no longer a consultant (technically as of 10/31).  My online store is already poof!

Enjoyed my tour with A Muse and am grateful for the amount of business I had, but I did not have time to be the kind of consultant folks need.  If you purchased from me at any time, you should receive a little something from me in the mail this week.  Thank you!  And I believe I have notified anyone who earned any prize, discount etc.  If not, give me a buzz...

If you are looking for an A Muse consultant, I heartily recommend two of my very nice downline (the others do not want to sell to anyone but themselves) --

Mary Dawn and Terri Barber. 

A Muse Studio News

I've recently received quite a few A Muse Studio orders, all from my very kind and loyal blog readers. The inks in particular are flying out the door!

Just a note to say how appreciative I am.  Since I do very little to generate these orders, I've decided to repay the favor. 

1.  Anyone who has placed, or places, an order with me from July 1 through September 30 will be in a raffle for a free A Muse Studio stamp set of your choice.   Winner to be announced by email and, if you give permission,  on the blog in the first days of October. 

2.  It is possible for you to order from me and get hostess benefits (just did this with someone and it worked out great).  If you want place an order for at least $150, email me what you want and include your phone number. I will call you for your credit card number and place the order for you with you as the hostess and the items will be shipped to you directly.  This is a great way to earn extra products!

3.  Everyone who has placed, or places, an order from me will get a little A Muse Studio something from me.   I will go back to March and work through the list chronologically.   So be on the look out for just a little something crafty from me in the mail -- might be some ribbon, cardstock, embellishment, who knows?  Just a little thank you. 

Apples, Blackboard, Gingham

Don't usually make black cards, but in this case, it worked so much better than the original vanilla base I tried.  And, with the apples, I see a blackboard and a thank you note for a teacher.

Or, since I think sending a thank you note to a college professor just isn't the same as sending one to a 3rd grade teacher, this will go to someone who did something nice for me.

Card Construction Details:

1.  Stamped apple from Flourishes Apple of My Eye repeatedly on a die cut piece of A Muse Studio Vanilla cardstock.

2.  Colored with Copics.  HINT:  Adding yellow to most fruits and leaves helps.  Also, for apples, add a bit of green at the top of the apple and blend (forms a soft reddish brown that looks like a real apple).

3.  Die cut another piece of Vanilla cardstock.

4.  Trimmed piece and stamped with an Impression Obsession Gingham Cover A Card background stamp and Memento Pear Tart ink. 

5.  Searched for a sentiment that worked.  Settled on Waltzingmouse Rescue Remedies Addition.

6.  Adhered gingham piece to apple die cut and wrapped ribbon.

7. Adhered with dimensional to an A2 card made with Onyx A Muse Studio cardstock and rounded corners on card. 

8.  Stamped an extra gingham piece and die cut with the Papertrey Ink envelope liner die.  Love this die!

SUGGESTION:  if you are going to make a black card, consider buying this Onyx cardstock.  The white side makes the entire card much softer looking than a black interior with a white layer inside.  If you don't want to go the A Muse Studio route, you can get the same cardstock from Memory Box through Ellen Hutson or Impress Rubber Stamps.  Or, layer the black front onto a white card.  Not my preference, but still nice.

MOOD WHEN DONE = Happy.  Life is good right now -- I'm taking off 2 entire weeks from work later this month and I'm feeling grateful for good health and a good job.

 

White Flowers

2 colorful, happy cards using a 4" square of cut out blossoms (cut with the Silhouette). 

This uses Blueberry and Buttercup A Muse Studio cardstocks paired with a sentiment embossed in white (from PTI Say It With Style).

Here's a close up of the cut out flowers -- the texture is wonderful.

And the second card uses A Muse Studio Grass and Onyx cardstocks with an unknown pink from "the stash."  Sentiment from same set. 

MOOD WHEN DONE = Happy, in a flowery way

Enjoy your Friday and hope your weekend is a good one. 

Cherry, Bermuda, and Buttercup

Three great A Muse Studio colors -- paired with a couple of terrific A Muse sets --  Marvelous Marigolds and Life is a Song. 

Speaking of A Muse Studio, a kind stamper emailed me to let me know that I posted a wrong email adress on an earlier post.  If you'd like a pdf version of the A Muse Studio holiday catalog, email me at jabardee@gmail.com

Flowers colored with Copics --

MOOD WHEN DONE = Mahvelous (what else?)

smile and some holiday a muse studio news

Thanks so much for all the comments you leave on this blog.  It is fun to read your thoughts.

A bit of texture helps add interest to a simple card (that took me from shells on kraft cardstock through an almost Christmas card to this one!).  Three hours later and one big mess, here is cute teeny smile.

 

 

MOOD WHEN DONE = happy

A few notes on adding elements to make a "simple" or "plain" card more interesting --

1.  Bazzil textured cardstock rocks.  I used Versafine Onyx ink because it covers over the texture better than dye ink.  Other pigment inks, such as A Muse Studio work well also. 

2.  The scalloped die works with the happy image and sentiment.

3.  Popping the die cut on dimensionals also adds texture.

4.  Finally found a way to use washi tape!  So easy -- much easier than ribbon or a stamp and adds more texture without bulk.  I'm rethinking this item.

5.  There is a teeny A Muse Studio clear rhinestone on the flower.

6.  The rule of 3 says to have 3 black and 3 pink elements.  Sometimes squeezing in more doesn't work (I have the mess on my table to prove it). Quitting while you are ahead often is the best approach.

Stamp, rhinestone and Washi Tape from A Muse Studio and sentiment from PTI. 

And for those of you who told me you do not like "crooked" photos --

 

*** A Muse Studio put out an early release of its Holiday catalog. Everything is available to buy on August 22nd. I'm not permitted to post a link on line but I am permitted to email you a pdf. It is really nice (lots of new paper and colors and dies and felt and stamps etc.).

Even if you aren't in the market to buy you probably will enjoy the card and other samples. Email me at jbardee@gmail.com if you want to look at it.

Later Gator

I'm a stamping fool.  You should see the pile that I'll never post -- shudder.  But this one made the cut.

Card Construction Details:

1.  Cut 10" x 5" piece of white cardstock, scoring it at 5".  Then trimmed one inch off the bottom of the card.

2.  Stamped gators.  Colored with Copics.  Tied twine. (MIstake).

3. Trimmed a 5" square of A Muse Grass cardstock and adhered wtih green side as shown and white on the interior of the card.

4. Stamped gators on Grass part of card.

4.  Hmm.  Grass cardstock a bit larger than the white.  How did that happen???  Trimmed by hand, avoiding the twine.

5.  Stamped sentiment.  Not easy given twine.  Should have stamped sentiment, made sure Grass cardstock fit, trimmed, then tied twine.  Live and learn. 

6.  Added one final gator at top of sentiment. 

MOOD WHEN DONE =  this card helped get me through a most aggravating day, so color me happy.

Hmm...just noticed that the color combo does not include yellow. Looked yellow to me until I posted this.  Ah, just a challenge, not a law.

Supplies:

Stamps:  Technique Tuesday
Cardstock: A Muse Studio Sugar and Grass
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo
Other:  twine, Copics, brilliasity