Category Archives: Card; Thank You

Recycled Paper Pumpkin Stamp Sets

You probably thought I dropped off the face of the Earth, but I didn’t.  I am still here.  Just been quite busy the last week or so.  I managed to sub four days last week.  I don’t know what possessed me!  By Friday I was thinking, “Working four days is too much for a retired person!”  So this week, I am only scheduled to work one day; tomorrow.  So far, I have one day scheduled for next week, but I am thinking I might schedule one or two more.

I have also been busy getting two bedrooms ready for painting this week.  Since we moved in here in 2001, I have been wanting to have the master bedroom painted, along with my son’s old room.  When we moved in, his room had air planes stenciled onto the walls because it was occupied by two little boys before him.  He was around 14 when we moved in, and I never repainted the room.  (Shame on me.)  Now that he is 28 and moved out, I have decided it is time!  My son came over on Sunday and helped clear out the rest of his stuff that he didn’t want.  All that is in there now are a few of his masculine decorations that he didn’t want to take, a bed, bookshelf and desk.  My husband has taken over the room with his computer, etc.  So I know he will appreciate not having stenciled air planes on the walls. LOL!

I have managed to do some stamping.  Two weeks ago I spent an entire day in my stamp room creating a gift set of note cards.  My daughter will be doing an expo in Denver in July.  She will be showcasing her line of clothing and jewelry. (Click the Freebird Philosophy  tab at the top of the page to go to her Etsy store.)  She asked me to share the booth with her and sell some of my creations.  So, you know how that goes.  Whatever we can do to help out our children, especially if we can do it…

I used a lot of old Paper Pumpkin stamp sets along with many current ones to create these cards.  Some of the cards are cased; some are my own creation.  I hope you enjoy looking at them, and if you have any questions about them, or would like to purchase a set or two, please let me know.

The first photo is of the chevron bag they will be wrapped in.  The decoration on the bag is my own original creation.

Note-cards-in-a-bag-1

The bag contains five note cards that look like this…

Note-cards-in-a-bag-6

This card is CASED from one I saw elsewhere.  The stamp sets are current photopolymer sets and Gorgeous Grunge.

Note-cards-in-a-bag-5

The birthday card is done using an old Paper Pumpkin set and Gorgeous Grunge.

Note-cards-in-a-bag-4

The thank you card is a combination of a current set (Gorgeous Grunge) and an old Paper Pumpkin Set. The ribbon I used was from Sale-a-bration and is no longer available.   The design is my own creation.

Note-cards-in-a-bag-3

This card was CASED from my friend and team mate, Dawn.  It uses the current Work of Art stamp set.

Note-cards-in-a-bag-2

Finally, the last card features Gorgeous Grunge, and the sentiment is from the first ever Paper Pumpkin kit.

Hope you enjoyed the cards as much as I enjoyed making them.  There is a list of all the Stampin’ Up! products I used to create these at the end of this post.

For more information on Paper Pumpkin,  click the tab at the top of this page.  When you are finished reading about it, click the Paper Pumpkin button on the right hand side of the page to enroll.

Until next time…(Hopefully it won’t be so long)

Happy Stamping!

Josie2

Butterfly Basics Clear Stamp Set
$35.95
Snuggles And Smooches Photopolymer Stamp Set
$15.95
Gorgeous Grunge Clear Stamp Set
$17.95
Work Of Art Clear-Mount Stamp Set
$21.95
Lovely Amazing You Photopolymer Stamp Set
$14.95
Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock
$8.50
Bermuda Bay 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock
$6.95
Pistachio Pudding 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock
$6.95
Strawberry Slush 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock
$6.95
Old Olive 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock
$6.95
Chevron Tag A Bag Gift Bags
$3.95
Whisper White Note Cards & Envelopes
$5.95
Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper
$4.95
Old Olive Classic Stampin’ Pad
$5.95
Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin’ Pad
$5.95
Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin’ Pad
$5.95
Baked Brown Sugar Classic Stampin’ Pad
$5.95
Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin’ Pad
$5.95
Crisp Cantaloupe Classic Stampin’ Pad
$5.95
Pistachio Pudding Classic Stampin’ Pad
$5.95
Strawberry Slush Classic Stampin’ Pad
$5.95
Jet Black Stazon Ink Pad
$7.95
Boho Blossoms Punch
$16.95
Builder Bird Punch
$16.95
Tag Topper Scalloped Punch
$22.95
Banners Framelits Die
$26.95


Circles Collection Framelits Die
$26.95
Chevron Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
$7.95
Big Shot
$99.95
Pearl Basic Jewels Embellishments
$4.95
Rhinestone Basic Jewels Embellishments
$4.95
2013-2015 In Color Sequin Assortment
$4.95
Tea Lace Paper Doilies
$2.95
Handheld Stapler
$9.95

 

 

 

 

Lotus Blossom

I never knew much about the lotus flower until I decided to post a photo of one of the cards I made using the Lotus Blossom stamp set by Stampin’ Up!.  After reading this article, you will probably say I still don’t know much, but I was at a loss as to what I should write.  Surely, you want to read about more than what paper and ink I used, right?  So, in my brief research (enough to make me dangerous) about the lotus flower, I found two websites that were helpful in giving me information about the symbolism and meaning behind this beautiful  plant.  You can click HERE and HERE to go to each of these websites for more in depth information if you are interested. However, this is a little of what I’ve learned about the lotus from my reading.  (Don’t you just love the internet?  We’ve got a world of information right at our fingertips!)

The lotus flower has significance in Hinduism, Buddhism and the ancient Egyptian culture.  A lotus is a water lily.  DUH!  I didn’t realize that so please don’t laugh too much at my ignorance.  🙂

In ancient Egypt, the lotus is associated with rebirth and the sun.  It is a symbol of rebirth because Egyptians believed the blossom closed up and sunk back under the water from which it grew at night only to re-bloom  (reborn)  the next morning.  They associated the Lotus with the sun because the sun also disappeared at night and re-emerged in the morning. “Therefore the lotus came to symbolize the Sun and the creation.”

In Buddhism, lotus blossoms are symbols of purity, spiritual awakening, and faithfulness since the flowers grow from the bottom of ponds where dirty water, pond sludge, plant debris dirt, etc. surrounds them. They are symbols of purity because they grow up from all of this muck without a spot of dirt on their petals.  From looking at the blossoms, one would never be able to tell of their “dirty” beginnings.  How often do you think of all of the “stuff” that is in the water they grow in when you see the blossom?  When I see the flower that is just what I see—the beauty of its perfection and its purity, especially if it is white.  Different colored flowers symbolize different things. Red represents love and passion; the pink lotus is considered sacred. Purple even has a specific meaning!

The lotus in Hinduism symbolizes beauty, fertility, prosperity, spirituality, and eternity with the white lotus having special significance. You can read more about the lotus on both of the websites where I got most of my information.

 

So here’s my card…

Lotus Blossom-1

Until next time…

Happy Stamping!

Josie2

 

 

 

My “Head” Friend

Admit it. We all have head friends or friends that exist only in our heads.  (Don’t deny it. You know it’s true!) It might be a famous movie star or sports figure; heck, it could be anybody.  The thing is nobody knows we are friends…not even the person with which we say we are friends.  But, we have regular visits with this friend on a regular basis…in our heads.

My “head” friend is Ed O’ Neil. You know, he plays the role of Jay Pritchet on the popular television show Modern Family.  Ed and I go way back!  We go all the way back to when I was in college the first time about 100 years ago.  We were in the play Private Lives by the play write Noel Coward.  Of course, he had a major role and mine was minor, but that is where our long-term friendship began.  It was sometime in the late 1970’s when we first met at the Youngstown Playhouse in Youngstown, Ohio.

In my head, Ed and I are friends. We are friends because I always tell people that I know him.  I tell people that Ed and I were in that play together a million years ago.  He also attended the same university as I attended.

And, to add a little credibility to my story I always add, “And I still have the play program too!”

The show keeps Ed busy these days, so we don’t manage to get together very often. Heck, we don’t get together at all.  I am sure that in the “real world” he doesn’t even remember who I am.  Then I think, “Why wouldn’t he remember?  Would he forget that he had a lead role in that play before he was famous?”   So in my head, he remembers.

However, if he did remember, and we did manage to get together with our families, I would treat him as if I would treat any family member I had not seen in a while. I would invite him into my home and prepare him one of the best Italian dinners he has ever had!

My husband says that if Ed comes to dinner, he wants Sophia Vergara to come with him.  I guess she is my husband’s head friend.  🙂

Next time I will write about my other “head” friend, Oprah Winfrey.

Today’s card is a Thank You card that I made using the Watercolor Thank You stamp set.  I am liking the look of vellum on cards these days!  It might be difficult for you to see, but I stamped onto the card stock in Whisper White craft ink using one of the Gorgeous Grunge stamps before I added the vellum.  The thank you sentiment is heat embossed with white embossing powder.

Watercolor Thank You

Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope you enjoyed your visit.  Until next time…

Happy Stamping!

Josie2

Not a Diplomat

I am not always diplomatic.

Most people that don’t KNOW me probably think I am a WITCH with a capital “B”.  The people that do know me will tell you that sometimes I can be. Just ask my husband.  What woman isn’t when she feels she has been treated unjustly or wronged in some way? I am sure the people that don’t know me well think I am this way because I have a tendency to be aloof until I begin to feel comfortable around whomever I am associating at the time. That’s a fault I have. However, the people who do know me will tell you that I am a kind person. I am a good person. I am a generous person. I am a moral person. I can also be funny. But, I am not always diplomatic.

I have more faults than one person deserves! Another of my faults is that I bottle the feelings I have until I cannot hold them in any longer, and then I explode like an ugly vomit that just will not stop. I will tell it like it is, and I can be less than diplomatic when I am telling it. Nevertheless, I believe I HAVE gotten better as I have grown older. I have strived to become more like my mother and father as I’ve aged. My father never said much, but when he did, he always hit the nail right on the head and said exactly how things were. He spoke the truth, no matter how hard it was to hear for the person that was hearing it. He could on occasion be tactless. That’s where I get it. My mother has always been the opposite. She has always been able to “keep her mouth shut”, but speaks up when something needs to be said. So, she was just like my father; although, she always had more sensitivity in how she comes across to the other person.

I used to feel bad when I would speak my mind. Even if I was tactful in the speaking, I would feel bad. I felt bad because I was afraid it would make the people to whom I was speaking my mind feel uncomfortable. I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. The truth hurts, you know. I know, because I have been hurt by it on many occasions. Now, at my age…I do not feel bad anymore for speaking my mind, because there is nothing wrong with telling people how you are feeling or have felt. I still do not want to hurt anyone’s feelings, and I strive to be diplomatic. However, sometimes I just am not! L In addition, I have realized that if what I am saying makes another feel bad, that is THEIR problem. Do not get me wrong, I would never INTENTIONALLY be mean to someone. Perhaps that was why other’s perception of me has always mattered. I do not want others to think I am a big meany head! That is not who I am. If a person thinks I am a bad person for speaking my mind, I have learned, that is also THEIR problem. If I don’t stand up for me, who will? I will even speak my mind when the “standing up” will not benefit me. We should all “stand up” when necessary because our “standing up” might make it better for someone else. And, if my lack of diplomacy makes a person feel bad, I am sorry for that! That’s my “bad”!

Now you know that I can sometimes be less than diplomatic.

I know I haven’t imparted any new pearls of wisdom here. You have to admit, though, I had to write about something. If you can think of a topic, I am always open to suggestions. .

Oh, and I can be sarcastic too…but that’s another blog entry.

Here’s today’s project.

Starburst Thank You-1

Starburst Thank You-2

A word about the card.  I made it by cutting the star bursts out of the white card stock and placing a piece of  the designer series paper underneath the white.  I attached the dsp flat onto the card base and used dimensionals to pop up the white piece.  The vellum piece is stuck on flat, and glue dots are used to attach everything else.

I hope you enjoyed your visit here today.  Until next time…

Happy Stamping!

Josie2