Altenew Painted Flowers

I just love this stamp set by Altenew! This one was stamped using the outline images only in Ruby Red and Forest Glades. I then used a waterbrush to detail. 

Thanks for looking!

Altenew Painted Poppy

I just love the clean and simple look of this card!  The stamp set is Altenew's Painted Poppy.  

Colored with Distress Inks in Worn Lipstick and Picked Raspberry.

Glossy Accents added to center of colored flower.

Thanks for looking!

Encore (Supposedly) 8 Hour Blanket

This is SO not an 8 hour baby blanket!  By the time I finished I had around 25 hours in it and it only measures 28" X 32".  Every time I make one of these I swear I'll never make another. I hate the twisting yarn in using two strands together. But, they sure do make nice gifts.  

This particular one was made with Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn yarn.  I had ordered Berroco yarn but it took 3 weeks to come.  Lil baby was already here so I had to get started. 

I hope that all of my friends and family that receive handmade gifts cherish the love that goes into each one.  Whether it be a handmade card or a knitted or crocheted treasure.

Thanks for looking!

Jofy Mini 09

This Jofy Mini stamp is one of my faves....plus I colored with fuchsia - my fave color to use!

Penny Black Season's Greetings

I love the clean look of this Christmas card.

I stamped the following on Ranger watercolor paper:

Red flower from Altenew Watercolor Wonders stamped in MFT Wild Cherry ink

Used waterbrush to blend ink once stamped

Black centers from PTI Peonies on Parade

Greeting from Penny Black Season's Greetings

I CASED this card.  I like hers much better but I could not find the minimalist poinsettia stamp that she used.

Yana Smakula Loose Watercoloring

Yana Smakula has some awesome card making videos on her blog.  I love her loose watercoloring!  Much faster with fun results!

Follow this link for info on how to make this fun card. 

My Favorite Things (MFT) Buildable Bouquet

I just love this sweet stamp set from MFT My Favorite Things!  The flowers set is called Buildable Bouquet. Stamped on Ranger Watercolor Paper and colored with Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers and a waterbrush.  The sentiment is from MFT called Label Maker Sentiments.  Stamped with my MISTI as this is the best way to stamp onto textured cardstock.  The stripe patterned paper is from MFT as well.

My card is a CASE of this card.

Thanks for looking!

Wild and Free by Unity Stamp

I sure had fun creating this card.  The main image is from Unity Stamp Co. called Wild and Free. Stamped on Tim Holtz watercolor paper and watercolored with Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers.  Added Distress Ink in Pumice Stone as a wash to the background. Stamped dots all around flower from MFT.  The sentiment is from PTI.  Die cut scallop border with a die from MFT and mounted on fog cardbase. 

Thanks for looking!

Altenew Watercolor Wonder

I just LOVE this stunning stamp set from Altenew - Watercolor Wonder. 

This card took forever to make. I originally made it for my step moms birthday all on watercolor paper.  I had to cut off the sentiment because I didn't like it and remount it for another occasion. Watercolored with Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Picked Raspberry, Mowed Lawn, Carved Pumpkin and Squeezed Lemonade. I inked up the stamps, spritzed with watercolor and stamped onto Tim Holtz Watercolor Paper.  There are three layers of color on each flower with complete drying time in between. 

This is a case of this card.

Wildflower by Concord & 9th

Love this gorgeous stamp set from Concord & 9th. It's called Wildflower.  Stamped images on Strathmore Bristol Watercolor paper.  Water colored images with Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers and a waterbrush.  Colors used:

022 Carmine Red

026 Light Pink

041 Light Green

080 Violet

Background is Pumice Stone Distress Ink

Sentiment is from Papertrey Ink

Mounted with foam tape onto fog cardstock. 

Added a few dots of Glossy Accents

This card is a case of this beautiful card.

Thanks for looking! 

Art Cards for Realtors

Love, love loving' my new Art Cards for Realtors!

Take a peek at the full site so far: 

KraftBits

My Square site (above) is where Realtors will go to order.  I will refund shipping and deliver to their offices (Davenport & Bettendorf only) one day a week...probably Saturdays.

Realtors do NOT need to be there to accept delivery.  I will just have the receptionist place in their boxes.

Chillin' Sam

Sam is loving the gorgeous day!!!!  Just a chillin'!

Apartment Therapy

I've taken to reading lots on minimalism.  Not so much the idea of having only 100 things but the idea of enough is enough!  I can't tell you how many things I've returned in the last few months.  I ask myself "Do I really NEED this?"  While reading great blogs on minimalism I happened upon a neat website Apartment Therapy.  They have something called a Small Cool Contest.  Click here to see some of the fun entries for 2012!

The shot above is from this article.  LOVE the space.  I could so live in an area that size.  If there were cool studio condos available here I'd rent or buy one in a heartbeat.  I really don't need all 1350 sf of my newest condo :)

Enjoy!

Winter Wonderland

Heavy wet wonderful!  Photos pulled from QC Times as mine were awful :)

Follow up to Joplin Tornado

Many of you know that last May when Joplin had their destructive tornado that I went in search of my father.  I didn't know that that was where he lived.  We had been estranged for some time.  We knew before we left that his home was in the direct middle of the tornado's path.  Well...I finally got to see Dad.  He moved to Wichita Kansas and bought a home there.  Still tornado alley mind you!  I drove down to visit  last September a few days before I moved.  What a wonderful, healing trip for me.  Below are a couple of photos taken there.  One with Dad and his dog and one with me, Dad and his wife.  Enjoy!

Whew! Long time no see!!! My new home!

I have been very, very absent!  My last posting was when I listed my condo for sale in June.  It sold in under 2 weeks and I moved in Sept to a one story condo with underground, heated parking.  LOVE it!  No more stairs...oh yes...an elevator if I'm too lazy to walk up one flight of stairs from the parking garage to my unit :) Here are a couple of shots...btw...I finally got my brown accent wall :)  Loving the open floor plan!

My Condo is Up for Sale!

I LOVE my current condo but I'm tired of the stairs.  Keep your fingers crossed that it sells quickly so I can move into the one floor condo I've made an offer on!!!  Photos of the new one tomorrow :)

Joplin Tornado Follow-up

On Wednesday, May 25th we stopped at the post office and left a note for Dad that we had been in town searching for him.  Then we found that we could park and walk into the decimated area to find Dad's house.  We walked miles!!!!  Found his home.  His home still had 2 walls standing whereas next door had only a part of one wall standing.  Most homes were just razed to the ground...gone.

We spoke with Dad's next door neighbor and learned that he had just finished digging a crawl space 2 weeks before beneath his home.  Dad and his wife weren't in it but a few minutes before the tornado hit.  A stranger a couple of streets over took Dad and Lou in for the night and then drove them to one of their relatives homes in Kansas to stay.  Two complete strangers offering up such amazing kindness.  From there Lou's daughter came and picked them up.  I don't think that they'll be returning to Joplin.  They made it out with only the clothes that they had on and only a few dollars.  Again...they are so lucky to be alive!!!  The folks in Joplin and here at home that helped us try to track Dad were absolutely God sent!!  I am so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life and also for the chance to have a renewed relationship with an estranged father!

The 1st photo below is from the Jasper County Assessors office-Dad's home BEFORE the tornado.  The following are his home AFTER and additional shots of his neighborhood.  You can click on them to make them larger :)

I read just today that only a handful of people are still unaccounted for.  I pray that they turn up alive somewhere!

Joplin Tornado

05/24 I work for Edward Jones as my day job in Davenport, IA. My boss contacted his counterparts in Joplin Monday to help with my search. It's been quite a challenge here. We were told to make our first stop the makeshift morgue. A stranger to town from Texas volunteered to escort us to the morgue from the police station. When we got there we weren't allowed in. Our escort got us back to the college campus here where we were told by Sheriffs that we would need to have DNA testing. We got to the college and that was not the case. We filed our missing persons report and were told at that time that my dad was not one of the 50 out of 116 (at that time) confirmed dead. We were given a list of hospitals in several states to begin calling after we ate and slept. We went 30 hours without sleep. As we were leaving the college my boss called from Davenport to let me know that a financial advisor from a local Joplin Edward Jones branch had just found that my dad and his wife are "safe". We have not been in contact with them yet. We've been very busy with our search here but unsuccessful in locating dad. I just read that the post office will be holding mail for those with destroyed homes. I will be leaving a letter for him before I leave tomorrow sometime. Dads home was in the very middle of the decimated area. How he survived I don't know. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you all so much for caring!

iPad2

Well, March 11th I went to BestBuy right after work.  I wanted to compare my 1st Gen iPad with the new to be released at 5pm iPad2.  There were probably 75 people in line.  I just strolled right inside.  All I wanted was to see the difference in weight and size.  Bummer...they weren't even on display until 5pm.  I went home...heck, I already the 1st Gen.  But...I went back the next day.  The iPad 2 is SO much thinner it's amazing (see shot below).  That alone did it for me.  I LOVE to read on my Ipad.  The thinner iPad2 is much easier to hold for long periods of time.  I use the Kindle app because the pages turn much better than the iBooks app.  I had purchased the new Kindle3 a few weeks ago because it is so much lighter than my iPad.  I returned it because I couldn't see the screen.  That e-ink is not all it's cracked up to be.  The Kindle is VERY light which was awesome...but if you can't see the screen it's worthless.  Now, the backlighting on the iPad is the way to go for me.  I've never had eyestrain from the backlighting.  Anyway, back to the iPad2.  It is easier to hold, a bit lighter and much faster.  There was absolutely no problem with the speed of my 1st Gen but I can definitely notice the difference in the upgrade.  I will be adding my 1st Gen to Craigslist in a bit.  I have to wait for my new German felt cover from Byrd and Belle to arrive.  I LOVE this cover/case.  I won't go anywhere without it.  I tried the new SmartCase by Apple.  As a screen cover it is great.  As a stand it is horrible.  I use a Griffin A Frame stand...awesome.  Anyway, I'm a rambling....point here is that I LOVE my new iPad2 :)