Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Digital Tuesday Challenge 'Summer Time'

Hello and welcome to another Digital Tuesday Challenge. This week's challenge is 'Summertime'. Simply make a card or project that shows whatever summer means to you and use at least one digital image. Our sponsor this week is our very own Digital Stamp Oasis and they are giving away 3 digis to one lucky randomly chosen winner.

Well when I think of summer I think of all the delicious and inexpensive fruits us Wisconsinites don't get to enjoy the rest of the summer, especially Strawberries; my favorite! I just love strawberries in any form: Strawberry Shortcake, Strawberry Smoothies, non-alcoholic Strawberry Margaritas, Strawberries and Whipped Cream....well, you get the idea. I just love this Digital Stamp Oasis image because it really shows how I feel when I get a good batch of strawberries.

To make my card, I colored the image with Copic Markers and highlighted the strawberries with a white gel pen. The paper is Stampin Up! and the the Strawberries in the lower right corner are buttons from JoAnn's. I used the SC286 sketch for my card. The main image panel is mounted up on dimensionals. Ribbon and brads were added for embellishment. And here is a close up of this sweet image.

If you'd like to play along with us this week, simply click on the Digital Tuesday Challenge Blinkie in my side bar and it will take you directly to the Challenge Site with further instructions.
Have a great day! Amy

Friday, June 25, 2010

Grandma's Parlor

Hello! Today I am excited to show you some images from a couple of new sets from Wink Wink Ink called 'Grandma's Parlor'. I absolutely love these sets because of the versatility. All the images are antique furniture that also come with some fun frames and phrases. There is a couch, a chair, several frames, two different tables, a cup of tea, a plant, and antique phone...am I forgetting anything. Well go check out Wink Wink Ink for yourself to see what great images these sets come with.

For my card, I used the chair, small table, tea cup, and oval frame for my scene. Since I'm not that computer literate (see, you can STILL use digital images if your a computer idiot like me) I assembled my 'scene' this way: I cut out the center of the frame and taped my sentiment behind it. I then cut out the chair, table, and tea cup and put them all on dimensionals on the same card stock as the frame. I then used some Heidi Grace rub on's for the scrolls and sponged the edges with ink. The paper is DCWV 'Main street'. I added lace, ribbon, and pearls for embellishment. Have a great day! Amy

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The Wedding Program

Here is the wedding program for my daughter's wedding. We kept the design simple because we had to make 50 of them and just did not have the time to be too elaborate. I simply bought pre made wedding programs from the wedding aisle in JoAnn's Fabrics and Crafts. The girls and I then stamped and embossed in black the wedding image and sentiment from Inkadinkado. Two holes were punched in the side and a ribbon was threaded through. A Martha Stewart Wedding flower and adhesive crystal were added for embellishment. This is the inside of the program. It was printed on a separate piece of cardstock and folded so we could add more information.

Thanks for all your kind comments about the wedding photos. The healing process has begun.
Have a great day! Amy

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Digital Tuesday Challenge 'Christmas in June'

Hello and welcome to another Digital Tuesday Challenge. This week's challenge is to make a Christmas Card. Our sponsor this week is Dustin Pike and is giving away 3 digis to one lucky randomly chosen winner.

For my card I used one of Dustin's fabulous images. The paper is by Papertrey. The snowflakes are buttons. I put Stickles on the Christmas lights and star, and pom poms on the Santa Hats. The image is colored with Copic Markers. Here is a close up so you can see all the details.


If you'd like to play along with us this week, simply click on the Digital Tuesday Challenge Blinkie in my side bar and it will take you directly to the Challenge Site with further instructions. Have a great day. Amy
































Monday, June 21, 2010

Wedding Picture PEEKS!

Hi all! O.k., I wanted to wait at least another 2 weeks before showing you all any photos because that's when I get the 'Professional' ones. But I just can't. So here are a few amateur snapshots for you, and I will give you more details about all the decorations and such when the professional photos are done.

After a week of strong thunderstorms and torrential downpours, flooding, etc., God granted us a beautiful sunny day in the 70's. So praise God for that! The ceremony was held inside our sun room and Ashley descended down the staircase. Here is Ashley wearing the dress that I took an entire year to make, at the base of the staircase. That's her dad watching me (see that peek of teal?) adjust her train.


This is Ashley and Jason at the 'alter'. I just loved the fact that the pastor wore a tie the exact color of my dress. All the colors were tied together so perfectly. The main color was 'Guava', or 'coral', and the accent color was teal. Here is the couple sharing their vows.



Here they are lighting the Unity Candle. The cross behind them has been hanging in my bathroom for years and was the perfect touch for both sentimental and aesthetic reasons.



Here is Ashley sitting pretty in the living room. Isn't she just gorgeous?


This is my husband and I standing in the receiving line.






Both my husband and I walked Ashley down the aisle. This is us waiting for her to finish descending the staircase.






The radiant bride.






This is my son and the grooms sister, and would you believe they are both named 'Jordan'. And to make it even funnier, the sister's middle name is Ashley!!!!




Here is a little peek of the decorated sun room.













This is the couple with Ashley's grandmother, my husband's mother.





This is Ashley's Great Grandmother in the foreground, and her grandfather in the background. We hung paper lanterns in the window space that separated the food area from the service area.










I promise more photographs and details in the many weeks to come, I just wanted to give you a little taste. I also need to 'vent' a little now. Even though this is primarily a paper crafting/arts and crafts blog, I also use it at times as a personal diary. It helps me to sort through my feelings and deal with things. I will first of all say that it was a perfect, fairy tale wedding. My daughter said before she left on her honeymoon that her wedding day was more than she ever dreamed, and she thanked me for all my hard work and everything I did to make the day so special for her. And I've never seen her so happy. She never stopped beaming all day. However, for me, it was one of the worst days of my life. I was miserable, and spent most of the day 'hiding from people'. And here is why. because the wedding was held in our home some things were a bit 'nontraditional'. Ashley wanted both of her parents to walk her down the aisle and give her away. But first we had to walk down the staircase. If we would have all walked down the staircase together, either I or her father would have been blocking her. We wanted Ashley to be the focus of attention. So we decided that after the bridal party went through, we would walk down the staircase first, and wait at the bottom of the staircase for Ashley looking up at her. She then walked down the staircase alone, and when she got to the bottom of the stair case, I fixed her train and then we each took her elbow and walked her down the aisle. Well, after the ceremony we were standing in the receiving line and this old man who I never met and was the groom's father's brother came up to me and said 'I thought you were the bride at first'. And I replied with a laugh 'Wearing blue!'. And he said, 'Well when you walked down the aisle during the processional music I didn't know what was going on'. Then I said 'We did that because we all couldn't fit down the staircase at the same time and we also wanted Ashley to be the focus of attention'. Then he rolled his eyes and said 'Well, still.' and then walked away. He never spoke to me again all day. I was so hurt and crushed and I felt like a fool. I am the type of person who takes a long time to process things and get over them when someone hurts me. I tried so hard not to let his rude comment ruin my day, but I just couldn't. I told several of my friends what he said and they were just shocked that anyone could be so rude to the Mother of the Bride, in the receiving line, when he was a guest in MY HOME! I know every wedding has an uncle who ruins it, I guess he was the one. I guess I just felt so bad because we did the processional the way we did it so Ashley would be the focus of attention, and then he thought we did what we did because I wanted to be the focus of attention, and nothing could be further from the truth. I spent the past year of my life working part time to make a dream wedding for my daughter, I spent a year planning and making everything by hand, and then someone robbed the joy of my day from me. My friends told me to just let it go, and then reassured me that the way we did the processional was absolutely perfectly, but I just couldn't be happy. I spent most of yesterday curled up in a ball depressed, and today I'm still in tears about it. I know I will get over it eventually, but it will take me a long, long time. And hopefully, I will be able to relive the joy of the day through pictures, if not through memories. I just wish, more than anything, that we never would have invited this man. He was kinda a last minute addition that I gave in on because the groom's family had no other family there because his side of the family is either dead or distant. I keep thinking, if I never would have given in on inviting him, that comment would have never been made and the day would have been perfect. Instead it was just ruined for me. I know some of you probably think I'm over reacting, and I probably am, but its just who I am and no matter how hard I try to not feel or think this way, I can't. So I ask for your prayers that I will be able to forget this incident and let it go. Amy






Thursday, June 17, 2010

Wonderful Surprises

Hello! Only 2 days until the wedding, so this will be my last post this week. I had to get this post in because it's one of my design team requirements, otherwise I wouldn't have posted at all this busy, busy week. For those of you who are wondering, things are going very well here at the Johnson household. Its amazing how much work gets done when there are many hands to help. Wow! We are officially all done with wedding stuff, now we just need to clean everything up. Today I'm going to spend most of the day shopping for food for the rehearsal dinner and I hope to get a few hours out in the garden today. That's been my only disappointment so far. The gardens do not look as pretty as I had hoped. It rained all week, so the only day I could get outside was yesterday. I worked from sun up to sun down, but it didn't even make a dent in what needed to get done when you have a yard the size of mine. Oh well, everything can't be perfect. I just have to accept that.

Anyhow, onto my card for today. This is a new image from Wink Wink Ink called 'Pearl'. It comes with this adorable bear, a sea shell border, and three sentiments. To make my card, I used DCWV 'The Mediterranean Stack'. The sparkly solid paper reminded me so much of sand, it went perfectly with this image. I cut out the seashell border and glued the images back together to use as an accent in the corner. I put Stickles on the pearl to highlight it. Here is a close up of the image so you can see the coloring, the Stickles on the Pearl, and the sparkly solid paper from DCWV.
That's all from me till the wedding is over. The weather looks good for Saturday.....keep up the prayers! Have a great day! Amy

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Digital Tuesday Challenge 'Make an Easel Card'

Hello and welcome to another Digital Tuesday Challenge. This week's challenge is to make an Easel Card. If you've never made an Easel Card before, the instructions are on Splitcoaststampers.com under the resources section. Our sponsor this week is Robyn's Fetish and they are giving away 2 digis to one lucky randomly chosen winner.

To make my card, I used 'Birdies Nest' from Robin's Fetish. The paper is Cosmo Cricket 'Earth Love'. Instead of using a button or brad to hold my card up, I just built up the base with layers of card stock. Here is a side view so you can see how the card stands up like an Easel.
And here is a close up so you can see the coloring. The sentiment is from Stampin UP!


If you'd like to play along with us this week, simply click on the Digital Tuesday Challenge Blinkie in my sidebar and it will take you directly to the Challenge Site with further instructions.
Have a great day! Amy

Saturday, June 12, 2010

THE Wedding Invitation

Well since the wedding is only 7 days from today, YIKES!, and I promised you pictures of EVERYTHING, I thought it was safe to post the invitation since almost everyone invited to the wedding has received them by now. It broke my daughter's and mine hearts to find out two people never received their invitations. We spent 81 cents a piece to mail them, plus the 44 cent stamp inside for the response card, not to even mention the cost of the invitation itself and the time it took to make. So for the U.S. Postal Service to lose 2 of them, there is no excuse!!!! Now we will have to make two more invitations and hand deliver them to the people who never received them. I'll do that AFTER the wedding! LOL!

Well, even though my card is my daughter's and mine own design, I have to give credit to Sharon's blog 'No Time to Stamp' for the inspiration. Her blog is filled with cards very similar to this, she loves monogrammed cards, big bows, and Just Rite Stamps. So I used one of her sketches for my card, but changed all the papers, colors, images, etc.

Ashley and Jason decided they just wanted their initials on the front of the card. However, we didn't do the monogram as tradition dictates. BECAUSE, Ashley's last name is Johnson, and her fiance's name is Jason: the monogram rule for both their unmarried names would be AJ, but that looked like Ashley's initials to us, so we just decided to break the monogram rule and put a little '&' in there for Ashley and Jason.

I wish I could have gotten a better photograph for you, but you have no idea how difficult it is to photograph an all white card! I tried probably 50 times in all different types of lighting, and no picture could capture the beauty of this card in real life; so you will just have to use your imaginations! LOL! All the paper came from JoAnn's Fabrics and Crafts. The top half of the card has paper with a shiny gold design on it, the bottom half is embossed/raised and is also shiny. The monogram and design around it is stamped and embossed with Gold Embossing Powder. The paper is a white iridescent so it has a subtle shine. The monogram is from Just Rite Stamps. The circles were cut with Spellbinders Nestabilites. Crystals were added around the monogram design. And that is a soft metallic gold paper edging the monogram circles and card base. The monogram and the circle design behind it were both raised up on dimensionals. The ribbon is a shiny satin.
For the inside of the card, I made 1 to 4 pockets depending on who needed what information. Some people only needed a response card, others needed hotel information, directions, and wedding rehearsal information. Each card fit neatly inside the pockets. The other side of the card was the formal wedding invitation.
Well that's THE wedding invitation. We were very pleased with the way it turned out and it seemed all the recipients loved them. Expect lots and lots of posts in the next few weeks of wedding stuff: programs, place cards, table cards, etc. So if you know anyone planning a wedding in the next year and is looking for ideas, be sure to direct them to my blog! I'd be happy to help!
Have a great day! Amy

Friday, June 11, 2010

Peace and Happiness

If I believed in reincarnation, I wish I could be a cat in my next life. I've always been so jealous of the lives cats get to lead. They get to sleep 20 hours a day. They always look beautiful and warm in those thick coats of fur. And if they are lucky, like my cat, they have a doting family who are always willing to lavish them with affection. But, I am nothing but a mere human, so all I can be is envious of the lives cats lead. LOL! The Wink Wink Ink image is such a perfect example of the peaceful lives cats have. I know I've shown you a card with this image before, but since then this image now comes with a chair and two sentiments. I love the sentiment that goes with this image. It fits it so perfectly.

To make my card I printed out the sentiment, cat, and chair separately. I then colored and cut out the chair and cat. I cut the sentiment out with my Spellbinder's Nestabilities. I adhered the chair and cat to the sentiment panel with dimensionals to give it an extra pop. The paper is DCWV 'A Guy Stack'. Here is a close up so you can see the dimension and the coloring.

And may your day be filled with peace, because mine certainly isn't with a wedding in 10 DAYS!!!! Yikes! Have a great day! Amy






Wednesday, June 9, 2010

A Hunter's Card

I needed to make a card for a 'manly man' who loves to hunt. I chose this image from retired Stampin Up! 'Wildlife Reserve'. The sketch is SC283 from Splitcoaststampers. The paper is 'Parisian Breeze' also from Stampin Up!

This was such a quick and easy card to make. I didn't even color it. I'm sure my hunter friend will love it. Have a great day! Amy

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Digital Tuesday Challenge 'Coloring with Chalks!'

Hello and welcome to another Digital Tuesday Challenge. This week's challenge is hosted by ME! I decided to challenge you to put your Copic Markers down and color with CHALKS. Yes, you heard me right, CHALKS. Remember those? They were all the rage a few years ago. I picked this challenge because I wanted everyone to see that digital images can be colored any way a traditional stamp can, whether its markers, watercolors, pencils, or even chalks.

Our sponsor this week is Meljens and they are giving away 4 digis to one lucky randomly chosen winner.

For my card, I used this lovely watering can image from Meljen's which was PERFECT for coloring with chalks. I just love the way you can quickly color an image with chalk, and how soft and pretty it is. My sketch is SC269 from Splitcoaststampers. The paper is K & Co 'Small Wonders Girl'. Here is a close up so you can see the soft coloring of the chalks.
If you'd like to play along with us, simply click on the Digital Tuesday Challenge Blinkie in my sidebar and it will take you directly to the Challenge Site with further instructions.
Have a great day! Amy

Monday, June 7, 2010

Wink Wink Wink June Challenge 'A Recipe'

Hello! It's the first Monday of the month and you know what that means! Time for a new Wink Wink Ink challenge! This month's challenge is 'A Recipe'. Simply create a card using your Wink Wink Images and the following Recipe:

W---Watercolor
I---- Inked Edges
N--- Nestabilities or a Punch
K--- Kraft, tan, or beige colors.

Notice how all the beginning letters in the recipe spell out 'Wink'? Fun, eh?

For my card I used the Wink Wink Ink set "Hangin Out". It comes with both a boy and a girl image and some really fun sentiments. I WATER COLORED the image twice, so I could pop the girls body out on dimensionals so it really looks like she is poking out through the tire in real life. I INKED the main panel image with Bashful Blue ink. I used my NESTABILITIES to cut out the sentiment. And my KRAFT, tan, or beige colors are in the designer paper by Cosmo Cricket called 'Earth Love'.
Here is a close up so you can see the coloring and the dimension.
If you'd like to play along with us this month and maybe have the chance of winning some free images, simply go to the Wink Wink Ink Blog where you will receive further instructions.
Have a great day! Amy

Friday, June 4, 2010

Pssssssst....

Hello! Today I have the cutest Wink Wink Ink set to show you called 'Secrets'. It comes with this adorable elephant image with a bird whispering in its ear and several sentiments. I just love the whimsical nature of this image and sentiments. It really provides a lot of great opportunities to create a lot of fun cards.

For my card today, I used designer paper from the DCWV stack 'Animal Crackers'. The blue sky is actually glittery palm leaves. The 'grass' is patterned paper from the stack. I made the palm tree with a Sizzix die, and I cut up the sentiment. Here is a close up of the image which is cut out and mounted up on dimensionals. You can also see the glitter in the designer paper in this picture too! I added hemp on the bottom for embellishment.

Well my daughter's wedding is only two weeks away now, so we are getting super busy and very stressed out in the Johnson household. I plan on photographing all the paper crafting and decorating details and will blog all about the big event after the wedding. I'm so excited, but very nervous too. Its a big job holding a wedding in your house! So much needs to be done.
Have a great day! Amy

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Digital Tuesday Challenge 'Let's Get Trendy'

Hello and welcome to the Digital Tuesday Challenge. This week's challenge is 'Let's Get Trendy', simply make a card or project that illustrates any trend (Retro, 80's, color trend, style trend, etc.) of your choice. Our sponsor this week is In Style Stamps and they are giving away 4 digital stamps to one lucky randomly chosen winner.

For my card this week, I chose the image 'Dan and Mandy' by In Style Stamps. My trend is 'The 50's'. The paper is DCWV 'Mod/Retro Stack'.
If you'd like to play along with us this week, simply click on the Digital Tuesday Challenge blinkie in my sidebar and it will take you directly to the challenge site with further instructions.

Have a great day! Amy