Pretty Notepads

The past week, I did have a little time to create!  I had a few of these junior note pads and used the "Charming" stamp set from Stampin' UP! 

 I used soft suede ink and stamped on each page of the notepad.  Just turn on the tv or the radio and stamp away!

Next I took some beautiful, retired DSP from SU! and scalloped the bottom,distressed it on the edges and attached it to the notepad using sticky strip. I also added just a small edge of soft suede cardstock using the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch and Baja Breeze Seam Binding ribbon from SU!

This is what the finished notepad looks like:

 Sorry for the photo not being so clear and bright! We have had such cloudy, wet weather I couldn't go outside for some natural light and I used what I could!

I love how my tag turned out!  I used the SU! tag punch, stamped one of the Charming stamps on some DSP, added a SU! brad and tied it to the ribbon with some SU! twine. 

I made 6 of these for gifts to have on hand. When I reach 500 blog posts, I will have to give one away as blog candy - sound good??

Thanks for stopping by ~ Gail

Burning in the Sandhills!

This past weekend by husband, sons and "few" neighbors gathered to burn the pastures we use in the summer time for our cattle.  We live in the Sandhills of Nebraska and many years ago homesteaders planted cedar trees because there was no trees in this area.  Well, over time the cedars have gotten way out of hand and we now need to control them or they are going to take over all of the pastures, leaving nothing for the cattle to graze on.  Therefore, we do cut down the cedars and burn them.  Believe me - there a still plenty of cedar trees left!

The guys all use 4 wheelers to get around the canyons and they have water tanks all on the backs of them.  The guys do alot of prep work before the actual burn happens, disking around the area, back burns and checking out to make sure the weather and wind is just right!

This is a shot of the smokey canyon after it has burned and is dying down.

After the burn comes my job....feeding everyone! 

They all gather for food and talk over how the burn went and where they are going to burn next!

This burn we had some neighbors that helped that had never burned before.

The burn was a success and soon the farmers will be getting out in the fields and start planting!









Blogger Award From A Blogger Friend!

 

 

 

I received this award from my blogger friend, Bridget!

 

 

 

Bridget and I don't live too far apart and we NEED to get together and create one of these days!  Thanks, Bridget!  Take a look at her blog and see all of the great projects she has created!!

 

I hope everyone had a great Easter and I hope to have some posts up soon!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friends...

I sent off two cards Monday in the mail to some blog friends that both live in Nebraska!  This first card, I sent to  Bridget!  I received some mail candy from her and sent her this card as a thank you.  I love to receive mail and hopefully this will brighten her day :)

I used some paper that I had purchased at a local scrapbook store (that is now going out of business) :( and I stamped the image from the set "Elements of Style" in Melon Mambo ink and added a little "friends" from the "Tiny Tags" set.  I did quite a bit of sewing on this - sewing around each of the layers.

The next card was sent to Pam!  She recently sent me some goodies I was wanting to try out so I sent her a thank you, also!

This card, I started out with basic gray and used some scrap DSP and whisper white cardstock.  The stamp sets used were Thanks For Caring and With All My Heart - both from Stampin Up!  Basic gray and real red ink was used.  I added whisper white organza ribbon and the SU! mini pearls.

Pam always finishes the card, inside and out so I did that to this card - this WAS the inside:



I kept looking at the inside and thought it just needed a little more so I ended up adding this and was then happy with it:

I hadn't received my SU! white twine so I used embroidery floss and added a little Friends from the "Tiny Tags" set and punched it out.  I think it was just what it needed!

Looks like another busy week is ahead of me...again but hopefully I will be able to get into my craft room!

I did get the lawn mowed and it looks beautiful!

Thanks for stopping by - I love to read your comments!



Busy, Busy Week!

OOPS - this was supposed to post on Monday but I must have pushed a wrong button!  I am still learning :)

I am soooo sorry I haven't posted for awhile but we have been so busy here!  The weather is warmer up and I want to get out in the yard and get my hands dirty also!!  I love to work in my yard when the flowers start coming up after winter and my lawn really needs mowed!  It is amazing after a long winter, just a few warm days makes everything outside "pop" - even the weeds!  But I have managed to make a few very simple cards:



This first card is a simple Thank you using just scraps you might have on hand.  I sewed a zig zag stitch around the scrap of old olive and used my new SU! punch on a small piece of green DSP, stamped a thank you and cut it out using the window punch, added a few brads and was done!

The next card is a simple wedding card I put together so I could have one on hand if I needed one in a hurry.  It is simple, white and black.  I didn't do alot but it really turned out simple but elegant.

Last is just a friendly, thinking of you card.  I made it colorful for springtime!  Again, most used were just scraps from my stash (do you have those?)  I like to keep little pieces of paper and ribbon on hand - you never know when they come in handy!

The actual card is alot brighter than the picture show but you get the idea!  I used one of SU! embossing folders on the lighter green paper to give it some texture.

I did have some time to make 2 other cards and I am dropping both of them in the mail today to some blog friends.  I will post those on Tuesday so stop back and see what else I created. 

The baby calves are doing great!  When I go outside with their bottles, I holler for them and they come running to the fence for their food!  They are so stinking cute and getting bigger.  I think I have decided to name them "ornery" - the aggressive one and "Lily" the laid back, patient one.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!!!





Because I Care

I have been needing alot of sympathy, praying for you, and thinking of you cards lately.  My "go to" stamp set at the moment is the Stampin Up! Because I Care set.  This is a Level 1 hostess set and it is truly a beautiful set!

I love hydrangea plants and we just cannot grow them here in Central Nebraska.  I have a brother-in-law that lives in Omaha and he has beautiful hydrangeas in his yard and I remember my Grandparents neighborhood on Whidbey Island, Washington had wonderful, purple and pink hydrangeas growing.  The only way I can enjoy them here is on a stamp!! 

I liked the clean and simple look of this card just using white and browns - kind of the monochromatic look!  Once again I used the Stampin Up! NEW Decorative Label punch.  I left the inside blank except for a tiny flower (which is included in this set) in the corner so I have lots of space to let the recipient know that I am truly praying for them. 

The next card I used the same colors but I liked the idea of just using just a portion of the stamped image.

I stamped the image on whisper white and used the SU!

1 3/8"  square punch.  I embossed the kraft paper with the finial press embossing folder.  I have used this folder quite and bit.  I love all of SU! folders.

Both cards are simple but I think make a statement. 

Our snow is finally starting to melt this afternoon.  This morning it was, once again, really snowing.  Makes calving season difficult!  At work today, everyone that came in the bank said they just wanted to see the sunshine someday.  Maybe we will get a peek of it Thursday!

Thanks for stopping by.

THANK YOU!

This weekend I made this Thank You card from a retired Stampin Up! set called Wanted.  It is a western set and I have used it for alot of my birthday cards for the men in our family.  The current available set Charming has a circular image that would work also - I may have to make another one using that image.

I used kraft cardstock for the base of the card and distressed the edges using soft suede.  The brown cardstock was soft suede and I turned it into "original design paper" by stamping on the cardstock with another retired stamp from Boho Backgrounds using SU! Chocolate Chip ink.  The thank you sentiment is from SU! Short & Sweet (NOT retired!!).  I use this set alot because it is little enough to fit into the Stampin Up! Modern Label Punch and it is such pretty writing.  Besides thank you, there is welcome baby, wish big, very merry, best wishes, and love you.  A very versitile set for not alot of money :)  

I also like to sew on my cards when I can so I added some sewing on the front.  I learned this from my buddy that I found online - Pam Speidel.  Pam and I even got to meet this past summer.  I went up to her home in Norfolk, Nebraska and we had a great day!

I added some SU! brads, a little ribbon and some corner embellishments inside.

While taking the picture of the card outside on my deck, this is what was flying over the field south of our home.

Canadian geese heading up north.  They make alot of noise when they fly over!  We live about 1/4 of a mile from a river and they bed down at night in the field close to us.  We have also seen beautiful white swans in the area, and the whooping cranes and bald eagles later on in the spring.

Thank you visiting - I would love to have you comment!