Imagine.....

...the possiblities.  Sharing a card I made using what I found to be called the magic reinker technique.  Basically, you stamp an image with versamark on SU!'s white shimmer paper, emboss it with black embossing powder, then spritz it with water (using a sprayer bottle).  Immediately, drop some ink onto the puddled water on the image and see the ink magically spread.  I've read where some use the ink straight from a reinker bottle but, I found that using a container (like an artist paint tray) to hold ink and using an aquapainter to pick it up and drop it onto the image, gave me better results.  Let the image dry for about 30 minutes or so, and then use it on your card.      
                                      
 

I used a favorite new floral stamp set, SU!'s Fabulous Florets, along with it's coordinating embossing folder. A piece of whisper white textured was used with the embossing folder and everything else was done on plain whisper white cardstock.   A sentiment from the set Word Play was stamped in black Stazon onto vellum cardstock. 

Hope you are enjoying a wonderful day!

Supplies used:
Stamps:  SU Fabulous Florets, Word Play
Paper:  SU whisper white cs, whisper white textured, elegant eggplant,
              vellum cs, shimmering white
Ink:  Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tangoreinker, Lavender Lace reinker,
         black Stazon, versamark
Acc:  embossing folder (fab florets), silver brads, aquapainter,
          black embossing powder, dimensionals

Sweet Summer Break......

 

(via Pinterest)

Seems like summer break just started.  Summer days stretching before us with so many possibilities, or none if we wished.  Days of getting up late, staying in pj's all day without a care, maybe taking a dip in a pool to cool off or just relaxing with a good book.  Love summer break with my boys.  Only thing that would make it better is if daddy could enjoy a whole summer break with us too. 

Sweet summer break, we will miss you.  Look forward to enjoying you again next year! 

On to a new year of school!

It's that time of year again........

(via freetimefrolics.blogspot.com)

                                

 Back to school time.

Hope they have a great first day of school!  They are off with big smiles, but I'm going to miss them so very much!

 

                                                                              

Weeping Tree Sampler....

This is my current work in progress:  The Weeping Tree Sampler by The City Stitcher.



I've had this pattern in my stash for a very long time before starting it back in January of 2010.  As you can see, I'm not the fastest of stitchers! 



I put it aside in the summer of '10 to work on a few summery projects and picked it up again this past fall.  It has been enjoyable to stitch, just time consuming with all that brick work.  My goal is to finish it by the end of this year. 

The pattern called for 28ct Mocha Linen and I debated doing 40ct, but I went with 32ct Mocha in the end instead.  Quite a bit of satin stitching is called for on this piece, especially the border.  I'm saving that for last.  A little satin stitching goes a long way with me!

Time now to go put in a few stitches in this piece this evening.  Hope you have a fabulous start to the new week!

Fresh Watermelon

~~~Click on images to enlarge~~~

A cross-stitched piece to share with you today.  LHN's Fresh Watermelon.  I stitched this awhile back; last summer while the boys played in the pool.  They love to swim, I love to stitch; everyone was happy!  I have recently bought a frame to place this in and as soon as I frame it, I'll share a picture of it in it's new home. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Pattern:  LHN Fresh Watermelon
Fabric:  32ct Cream Belfast Linen
Threads:  called for DMC
Stitched 2 threads over 2

My Paper Garden

                      Hello!  Sharing with you today some colorful paper flowers.  This is my attempt at casing SU!'s cover art from their July issue for demonstrators.  Found this little vintage wire basket with 3 bottles on Ebay. A little time consuming but it turned out to be a fun project.  Click on the image to enlarge.   

The flowers were made using various dies and punches from SU!.  The shredded paper was made using cardstock that was run thru Fiskers crimper and then trimmed in thin pieces with the paper trimmer.  All flowers are on a floral wire stem.

Enjoy your day!

Supplies used:

paper:  SU!  2011-2013 In Color line, cardstock & DSP, WW textured CS
Acc. & tools:  blossom bouquet punch, fancy flower punch, 1" punch, 
 itty bitty shapes punch, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, 3/4" circle punch
fun flowers bigz L die, daises #2 bigz die, 2 3/8" scallop circle punch, full heart
punch, small heart punch, heart to heart punch, ribbon, brad, pearls, floral wire
and dimensionals

Birthdays......

Do you quilt?  I don't, but I think it's such a beautiful craft.  Here's a card I made using Papertrey Ink's Quilter's Samplers set using Stampin Up products.  Not sure what the pattern on the card is called (star maybe?) but I tried to make one like you'd find on a handmade quilt.  Ivory and patterned paper was cut out into 1 inch squares and lightly adhered to Baja Breeze cardstock.  It was then run thru the Cuttlebug with SU! Lattice Embossing Folder.  Card measures 4 3/4 x 5 1/2.

                                                                     Have a lovely day!

                                                    Laura



Supplies Used:
Stamps: PTI Quilter's Sampler, Birthday Basics
Paper:  Ivory, Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, SU! DSP
Ink:  Not Quite Navy, River Rock & Baja Breeze (classic pad & markers)
Accessories:  SU! lace ribbon, ivory button, pearl , Lattice embossing folder

Lovely finds.....

Do you see something on the www and know that you must have it even though you don't really need one more of it?  When I saw these cute little scissors from Kelmscott Designs via With My Needle and Thread, I knew in a heartbeat I would love to have them.


Daisy Scissors-Kelmscott Designs
picture by Brenda Gervais "With My Needle and Thread"

 Aren't they cute?!

And while I'm on the subject of more wants, this is on the top of my cross stitch wish list:

Autumn Splendor by With My Needle and Thread

 
It makes me look forward to Autumn, my favorite season.  Maybe a really early birthday present to me?  Hmmm........


Have a fun day!
Laura






Busy Needle

While In Tucson, AZ for a family wedding, I had time to stop in a little charming needlework shop called The Busy Needle.  Diane of Little House Needleworks (from Tucson) designed an exclusive pattern for the shop.  They made it into a darling little needle book and I hope to do the same.



Stitched on 28ct Natural Linen 1 over 1



This was a fun little piece to stitch.  Now to just finish it off!

Laura

A New Beginning....

So here is the start of something new.  After admiring many, I decided to go out into the blogsphere with my own.  Bare with me as I learn this process of sharing some of my favorite things with you.  Hopefully it will be more interesting than this first post!

Be back soon!