Create Kindness

I know it has been awhile since I have posted- sorry to dissapoint all of you that follow my blog. I wish I could say that I would get better at posting more often but life isn't always as we plan. I have noticed that my stamping mojo has taken a leave of absence again. When life seems to get chaotic; stamping takes a back seat as it should. Again we play the waiting game with my son's treatment. He has finished his radiation treatments but the radiation will continue to work for the next two weeks. I wish I could tell the radiation that there would be an extra bonus in it if it worked even harder. I wonder- would a mother's relief count as a bonus? Again it is one of life's challenges that is out of my hands and into another's higher than myself.

I know my love of stamping has slipped away when I didn't feel the excitement of beint at a stamping convention in Novi, MI. Nevertheless, I enjoyed a day with the grils and spending some money on new stuff. I had told myself before we left that I really didn't need anymore stamps, but guess what I came home with? You guessed it- more stamps. I was pretty proud of myself for having some restraint. When I found something that caught my fancy, I asked myself - do I already have something similar at home, and most of the time the answer was yes. So back on the vendor's shelf it went. Mind you, I did come home with a sizable bundle. I'd like to call it my therapy session (probably cost me the same).



Today's card is using a couple of Stampin' Up (SU) stamps. The three sets I used are Kindness Matters, Charming and Creative Elements. The image of the woman is from Hero Arts called Smart Style. It is just a collage of layered papers. The large scallop in the back is from an old dictionary. The woman was stamped in artprint brown and then I used SU Designer Frames Folder and cut around it. I dyed the flowers to match with a Ranger ink pad some water on a paint brush. I also brushed some ink on the lace to give it a vintage look. Here is a hint: A strong mixture of iced tea or instant coffee is also a great way to create that vintage look on your embellishments. Just dip your lace or flowers in it and then let them dry.

I was planning on sitting outside in the sun today with a good book. I am reading a collection of love letters and poems from an 1800 poet and theologist by the name of Francis Ellingwood Abbot. Boy they sure don't make men like that anymore. It looks like it is going to be cloudy most of the day, so maybe I can try to get back in the swing of things with my new stamping goodies. My DH has been gone all week camping in the rustic UP with no electricity or running water (not my idea of a vacation). He even took the dog with him, so I have had a clean house to myself- now that's a vacation!

~Have fun and enjoy!