After The Rain ...

Hey there...
Here it is the last day of August! How can that possibly be? I love the feel of Fall in the air - but I don't like to think of what comes after. By that I mean snow, and cold, and winter. BUT - I do love Christmas! So I guess I better get a grip, aye?

Here is my card for today. This stamp is one I have had for years; probably since I first started stamping! She is just adorable and such fun to color. AND it is so true ... it will not rain forever - the sun does have to come out eventually. This also applies to our circumstances - they may seem rough, but we will get through them and things will get better; maybe never the same, but better. I hope you believe this!

I colored this with the Blendabilities from Stampin' Up! The main card base is the new Blackberry Bliss... also from S. Up! We are having siding put on our 180 year old farm house - once they are finished and the new back door is hung I am going to paint both doors this color! YEA! So I hope it stays sunny a week or so from now!

Enjoy this last day of the month - this Sunday - Day of Rest!
HUGS!
Ruthie

CHOOSE HAPPINESS

Hey All!
Now that is a catchy title, don't you think? Do you believe it? I sure hope so! Everything we do is a choice - even our feelings! Now, feelings will overcome us BUT the key is we choose to live in them or not! We choose them - or not!

I believe this with all my heart so when I saw this set entitled CHOOSE Happiness I just had to have it!

Here is the card I made today using this sweet set. I stamped the leaves and the flowers and then used my blender pen to pull ink into the white spaces ,,, gives them a subtle coloring. I used my markers on the bird stamp to give him a two-tone color. Oh yes ... the background on the white CS is done by inking up an embossing folder and placing the CS down on it at an angle and pressing! Voila! Again this is a nice subtle background.
Huuummmmm - wonder why I am into "subtle" today?

I most generally do something special inside the card as well - even though I don't always show you the inside. However, here is the inside of this card -

I hope you have enjoyed your peek here today! Let me know what you think!
AND - I trust you have chosen to be happy today!

Blessings and HUGS,
Ruthie

Peaceful Petals Masked and Colored

Hi everyone!
Isn't this a gorgeous day? LOOVVEE the sunshine! I went to the beach yesterday with some girlfriends, took lots of pics as always - not really knowing what I was going to get in the end because I find it difficult to see the digital image when the sun is bright. Anyone else have that problem? Is there a way to fix it? If so, let me know, would yah! Thanks...
Anyway - here is a shot I took of the sky because there were a bunch of seagulls flying by - (sounds like the first line of a poem, aye?) - I didn't get the gulls, but I got my own BOKEH shot! I am loving it!

 Enough already! Here is my card for today - a flower image from the Peaceful Petals set - Masked to appear as if the flowers are behind each other - then colored with my Blendabilities. I placed the sentiment sideways ... I like to do that at times. Simple but pretty! Did I tell you yet that I love my Blendabilities? :0

Enjoy this wonderful day that has been given to us!
HUGS!
Ruthie

August Kreations Klub

Hi everyone ...
Sorry I am late posting this - I just got my internet back!
This will be a quick post - just to show you the cards we made at Klub on Saturday! Oh my, we had lots of fun, and laughter! A good time was had by all!

#1 - A Christmas Card using a new set from the Holiday catalogue...We embossed the cardinal and sentiment in gold; used a strip of DSP and Mossy Meadow Ribbon.  I think I see more of these in my future.

#2 - Fun Fold card with focal image done in "Pointillism" - a painting technique done by using the pointed end of a marker or Blendabilities ... this is a close up - it is a fun technique!

Here is the card with the flower and a fun fold and Typeset DSP...

#3 Bokeh ...which I showed everyone the other day!

Usually we do 4 projects but for some reason these 3 took us all afternoon.

Stay tuned for more goodies!
Hope today was awesome!
Blessings and Hugs,
Ruthie

BOKEH

BOKEH (bo-ka) ... what does this mean? I didn't know until the other day! It means "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of  light" - such as you see in the photos below. We all have seen many such photos and thought how pretty they were. Now you know the name of the technique used! :)
Don't you love this dandelion photo? I don't care for dandelions when they are yellow but I love them when they reach this stage!
And then there is the photo of just the lights which have been rendered out-of-focus.

So, by now you are probably wondering why I am going down this road! Well, the other day I saw a card made with the "bokeh technique". If I remembered where I would send you there - but I don't know where. Anyway, I decided to try this out.

ENJOY 

Here is my rendition of the Bokeh Technique!

This is a sneak peek at a new frame - Filigree Frame - from the Holiday Catalogue which goes LIVE on the 28 of August.

Tell me what you think - did I capture "bokeh"? The next one I do will be softer by stamping off more before stamping on my focal point. I hope you will give this one a try!

Blessings and hugs!
Ruthie

Perfect Peacock

Good Morning Stampers!
Another Gorgeous day! YEA!

Well I have a gorgeous card for you today! By that I mean that the Peacock is one of the most beautiful birds I have ever seen. My peacock is not colored his true colors  - I just don't have the Blendabilities / Markers / Copics that match reality but nevertheless he is still pretty.

When my younger brother was alive he had a "bird farm" called the "Coo and Cackle" ... on this farm he raised a couple pairs of peacocks! The male was soooooo gorgeous! And it was amazing to see him when he spread his tail feathers!

So - I could not resist the stamp Perfect Peacock from Stampin' Up! I stamped it off a couple of times and procrastinated coloring him because I felt I would never do him justice. When I finally attempted the coloring it was easy-peazy! I used the Coastal Cabana Blendies with Old Olive and Daffodil Delight. The brown on his wings was done with a couple different Copic Markers.
Are you ready?

 
This picture does not do the card justice.... but you get the idea!

Stay tuned for more from this fellow! :)
Have a wonderful day! Enjoy this sunshine.
Hugs...
Ruthie

Peaceful Typeset

Good Morning Stampers!

The sun is shining ... gotta love that.

Here is a flower from Peaceful Petals set - that I colored with the Pumpkin Pie Blendabilities ... I am really happy with the shading in this one. I wanted this flower to be the focal point of my card so I used all neutrals with just Pumpkin Pie ...

What do you think?

I took Madison to New Minas yesterday - met Mom there for lunch - and handed her over. My, the house is quiet this morning. :(

Hope to get some time in my Krafty Korner today!
Have a great day everyone!
Hugs ...
Ruthie

Sunflower for Wonderful You!

Good Morning!

My the days are rushing by. Do you find that? Madison said to me the other day , "Grammie, can you believe it? In 2 more years I'll be going into high school." And my reply was, "Kiddo! I can't believe that in 2 more weeks you'll be going into grade 7." I guess it is all about perspective, aye?

Here is a fun card - the sunflower stamp is not Stampin' Up! It is one I have had for years just to color - and I did just that with the Blendabilities! I took a piece of Mossy Meadow CS - can't remember the size but it was smaller than the 5 1/4" by 4" piece of Vanilla ... I then used one of the edgelits and cut this piece in two - lined up the edges with the edges of the Vanilla and this left a "space" in the middle for a sentiment. I actually stamped the sentiment before I adhered any CS in place. Did you notice the piercing along the edgelit edges? I am very happy with this card and see many possibilities coming up!

Enjoy your day ... This is the day that that the Lord has made ... rejoice in it!
HUGS,
Ruthie

Hydrangea

Good morning Stampers!
WoW! Another gorgeous day! A beach day for sure!

Here is another card with some coloring using the Blendabilities. I love this Hydrangea stamp ... it is from an old retired set - I can't even remember the name - but Stampin' Up! brought it back last year in the "Best of Flowers" set. I stamped and sponged on a piece of typeset DSP and popped the flower - and there you have it.

.

Enjoy this awesome day!
Hugs,
Ruthie

Just For You

Hi Stampers!
I hope your weekend has started off in a positive manner. Tomorrow we will travel to pick up our granddaughter - she always comes to stay for a week before school starts up again. I can't believe she is almost 12 and going into grade 7! Where have the years gone?
Sometimes she likes to get in the Kraft room and sometimes she likes to be on the farm with Grampie. BUT I am hoping for some nice weather so we can do a couple of beach days!

Here is my card for this Saturday ... and it is "Just For You"! (from Work of Art). See the yellow flower? Well, it was sitting on my desk all ready to be used - initially I had stamped it and I think I rocked it so I stamped again and again ... kinda like it! All flowers are colored with Blendabilities; the leaves and "line design" are from Summer Silhouettes. I love putting many colors together - reminds me of a field of wild flowers that our Creator put together! :)

The other day I stamped off a bunch of images and am doing some coloring in the evening while hubby and I sit in front of the TV.... maybe I should say while he naps and I sit. So - be on the lookout!

Blessings and Hugs!
Ruthie

Thinking of You - Typeset DSP

Good morning Peeps!
I have a card for you today that uses the new Typeset DSP. Hopefully you can see the longer narrow piece that I sponged on. I used the Summer Silhouette stamp set on the front piece of DSP. I am trying to find multiple ways to use this DSP. The other day I seemed to be on a roll - so stay tuned for samples. Can you tell I really, really, really like this Mossy Meadow green in the new In Colors. I seem to use it a lot. I think it is one of prettiest greens I have seen in a long time. The accent color is Tangelo Twist - also a new In Color.

Just a simple little card - to let someone know how much I care!

May showers of blessing rain on you today!
HUGS
Ruthie

Mouse and Hummingbird

Good Morning...
Have you ever completed a project that you are not quite happy with? I have, many times. This card is one such project. I began by stamping this cute little mouse, hummingbird, and flower. (Non-Stampin' Up! stamp). I wanted to do some coloring with my Blendabilities - and did so. And I was quite happy with the colored piece BUT thought it needed just a little more so I sponged in the background. Didn't like it so then spritzed it with some vanilla shimmer. Well, I guess it is a cute card but not what I had in mind at all!

I think you can see the shimmer here...

I left this card without a sentiment so that I can use it for multiple occasions. Have to try my hand at this coloring attempt another time soon!

Have a great day!
Ruthie

Life is A Matter of Moments -

Hey there stampers!
My card today is one I made last week after spending some time "coloring" with the Blendabilities from Stampin' Up! LOVE THEM! The stamp is one I purchased a long time ago and I hauled it out for this specific reason. Isn't she a cutie?

After the wet weather we have had recently I don`t think we will need to get our watering cans out! :)

Enjoy your day AND --- make the moments matter!

HUGS
Ruthie

Christmas in August !

Hey peeps!
I have made a Christmas Card! I missed doing it in July .... you know, the old "Christmas in July" thing? So I'm only one day late. I hope that is not an indication that I will be late for Christmas!  :)

Anyway - I really wasn't planning on doing this but I rec'd some product from Stampin' Up! the other day and just had to use this new set with the Cardinal in it --- Beauty of the Season. It is available in the Holiday Catalogue which customers can order from on August 28th.

Here is the Card - colored with Blendabilities... using Mossy Meadow and Crumb Cake CS -

Have a great weekend ... I am doing some coloring so expect to see some unique stuff come next week - BUT - no more Christmas for a while!

Hugs,
Ruthie