Freaks, Geeks, and Salsa!

Since daughter Amy and sissy Gail aren't coming until Friday night, hubby and I are joining a friend (Lisa) and her sibling family for Thanksgiving. As she says "come join the freaks and geeks"! Lots of food - lots of adopted family - lots of games and card playing - lots of food (oh I said that). Of course  I told Lisa I had to bring something to her brother (Rich) and sister-in-law's house. I sent a text to Rich to ask what I could bring. He didn't have answer for me. Even after I sent my list of 'specialties' including paper products, Well's Dairy Ice Cream, ground coffee, beer, wine, home made pumpkin pie with REAL whipped whip cream, or apple crisp. Well...he didn't answer. So I made .... ta daaaa....
Corn SALSA! Now there is a traditional Thanksgiving appetizer....

With all the choppin' and mixin' and cleanin' I put in, not to mention a morning at work - I managed to to squeeze in a little card-makin'-Bubble-time!

The ornaments on this card are the punch-outs from a few other cards. I clear embossed over two of them and green embossed with the corresponding shape stamp with green on the middle one.

Christmas Wishes

~Base card vanilla cardstock

~Layer of Kraft/red cardstock by The Paper Studio - edges smudged with SU Olive Green

~Three Stampin' Up ornament die cuts, embossed

~Metallic floss

~Sentiment by Taylored Expressions stamped with Versamark and embossed with white embossing powder, edge dotted with Sharpie white paint pen

Challenges

Retro Sketches - sketch

Songbird - die cuts

C is for Challenge - ornaments

Party Time Tuesday - anything goes

Thank you for clicking by ad GOBBLE GOBBLE!

Nancy

So So Boneless!

Just in time for Thanksgiving! Daughter Amy and sissy Gail coming up from Omaha this weekend! I bought a....now this is weird...but I bought a boneless turkey! I have had so much fun making bad jokes about my boneless turkey! Can't wait to try it. The local butcher just swears by it! Says he hasn't cooked a turkey with bones for 10 years. Sad we won't have a wish bone though... Maybe I just found my niche market! I should create and sell  faux turkey wish bones!

On my schedule is to  make and bake a pumpkin pie - how fortuitous that the inspiration for this card is perfect for my day in the kitchen! I must admit, this card is just 'so-so', but then so is my cooking!

This is the photo inspiration over at {PIN}spirational:

Bountiful!
~Base card - orange card stock
~Layer of teal polka dot card stock
~Digi by Eureka, colored with Copics, highlighted with Stampin' Up Crystal Effects
~Sentiment stamp from Taylored Expressions die cut with Spellbinder and Cuttlebug
~Three buttons (gift from sissy Gail)
Challenge/Inspiration
{PIN}spirational -  photo inspiration
Digi Designs - Thanksgiving/Harvest
Hiding in My Craft Room - Thanksgiving
Suzy Bee's - add buttons
Crazy 4 Challenges - thankful
Craft Your Passion - give thanks
Marker Pop - Thanksgiving with markers

Thank you for clicking by and Happy Thanksgiving to all my American and Americanized blog-land friends!

Nancy in Iowa

BUSY BUSY BUSY

Gonna be a busy weekend! I can't believe I am saying this but I'm going to a craft fair tomorrow. I REALLY don't like crafts and especially don't like craft fairs. I went to two art gallery shows recently - LOVED them both! But crafts?...Not so much. Yes...you might call me an art snob. And I'm okay with that!

So why a craft show? Well...my favorite Farmer's Market vendor is going to be at the fair with her jams and jellies! Everyone on my Christmas list - stop reading NOW...Christmas Gift Spoiler Alert. All my gift peeps are going to get a jar of jam! Her jams are ROCKIN!! Like: Christmas Butter, Pumpkin Pecan Butter, Brandied Marmalade, Carrot Cake Preserves, Raspberry Jalapeno, Habanero Gold, and my personal favorite...Sweet Warning - with sweet red bell, serrano, and habanero peppers.

College Men's and Women's Basketball games in the afternoon! Go Chargers!

Tomorrow night we are off to enjoy Christmas at the Orpheum. The Briar Cliff University Choir, Chamber Choir, and Siouxland Choral Artists plus the symphony. It will be glorious! It is the signature event of the university's choral program.

Plus I need to do a bit of cleaning and preparing for Thanksgiving! (Okay maybe it's more than just a LITTLE necessary cleaning...) Oh! AND I have an order for some Christmas cards for daughter Amy and her friend Jennie. I told you...BUSY weekend!

Cozy Christmas

~Base card - white card stock

~Layer of striped card stock

~Glitter/sheer ribbon

~Layer of red card stock with white dots made using White Sharpie Paint pen and with punched curved corners

~Tree image from design card stock Michael's Twelve Days with punched curved corners

~Sentiment stamped with Versamark, embossed with Ranger Rich Red embossing powder, die cut using Stampin' Up Framelits Apothecary Accents and 2 pearls colored using red Sharpie

Inspiration/Challenges

Crafty Sentiments Designs - Christmas

Bearly-Mine - Christmas colors with die cut

Thanks for clicking by - have a fabulous weekend!

Nancy in Iowa

Slacker Sunday

So...is this really all I have to show for a day in the Bubble!? I wasn't very productive was I? Four loads of laundry and one card? What a slacker! Can I have a weekend mulligan? Please?

Holiday Wreath

~Base card - grey blue card stock

~Layer of design paper snowflakes

~Vellum

~Green stripe of card stock with lace punch edging

~Martha Stewart sentiment

~Ribbon

~Taylored Expressions Snowflake Wreath stamped with Versamak and embossed with clear embossing powder and die cut with TE Seasonal Wreath

~One metal snowflake and two silver brads

Inspiration/Challenges

Sketch Saturday - sketch

Challenges 4 Everybody - anything goes

My Besties Norge - snowy

Thanks for clicking by. I hope you had a productive and fun filled weekend. Happy work week!

Nancy in Iowa

Weekends and Turkeys that FLY!

The weekend...here and half gone. Why does the weekend have to fly by so fast? These turkeys in the neighborhood need to fly too - Thanksgiving is almost here!

Neighborhood Gobblers

Chocolate Cherry Christmas
~Base card Kraft card stock
~Layer of striped kraft card stock - The Paper Studio Classic Christmas collection
~Two brown and one red card stock scallop circles (Spellbinders & Cuttlebug)
~One scallop circle music print kraft card stock - The Paper Studio Classic Christmas collection
~One red/white check scallop circle - The Paper Studio Cozy Little Christmas
~Jute scroll printed ribbon
~Twine bow
~Sentiment - stamped with VersaMark, embossed with bronze embossing powder, on brown cardstock, bleached and colored with white Sharpie, and red Copics, highlighted with SU Crystal Effects
~White Sharpie paint dots on scallops
Challenges/Inspirations
Just Us Girls - color challenge: red, draft, white, brown
Just Add Ink - sketch
Christmas Stamping All Year Long - stripes
Hiding in My Craft Room - die cuts
Crafty Calendar - all things Christmas
Ladybug Crafts - Kraft

Thanks for clicking by,
Nancy in Iowa

Wishing for the Weekend

I cannot wait for the weekend! How about you? Saw the cool color inspiration at Always Playing with Paper : Stripes, Red, Chocolate with Stars or Hearts and just knew I had to play along! I love brown and red together and I wonder why I don't use Kraft card stock more often!

Peppermint Mocha

~Base card - Kraft card stock

~Layers of dark brown card stock

~Layers of Paper Studio Classic Christmas collection (stripes, polka dots, music)

~Spellbinders scallop circles

~Joy stamp from the Walmart 97 cent bin, stamped with Versamark and embossed with bronze embossing powder, bleached the 'O' so I could color in the peppermint with red and white inks

~Brown and red card stock flourishes using Spellbinders Shapeabilities Floral Flourishes

Inspiration/Challenges

Always Playing with Paper - color inspiration

Mojo Monday - sketch

Addicted to Stamps - anything goes

Stampavie - die cut embellishments

Southern Girls - sweet things (peppermint 'O' in Joy)

Thanks for clicking by,

Nancy in Iowa

Confessions, Wine, and the Dreaded Sock Monkey

My Fiber Bubble (my card/quilt making zone) is a place of solace, creativity, and therapy. It is also a SAFE zone. So...What is posted from the Bubble stays in the Bubble!

Only because I know I can trust you....I share this secret with you.

Here it is - please don't judge me...Sock monkeys FREAK ME OUT! They always have. They always will. What is it about that smug, vacant eyed, floppy creature? I seriously get shivers when I see one. And did you know they are in vogue right now? You can buy nearly ANYTHING in a sock monkey theme. Fabric, coozies, hats, costumes, purses...before you know it I will be surrounded by these creatures! I think there is a subversive subculture of sock monkey activists out to take over the world.

As you will see by the {PIN}spirational photo inspiration challenge I was not only in for a challenge but was close to needing REAL couch-time, Rorschach, meditation, aroma therapy. What was I going to do? It is an adorable photo but all I could focus on was that damn monkey. I couldn't let the design team down! I made a commitment to make a card using that photo as my inspiration. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?

I decided I would leave the Bubble and the horrifying photo of a sweet baby being accosted by a sock monkey plus a knitted sock monkey cap (I was sure the cap monkey had ill intentions...) and go upstairs and pour myself a glass of wine.

After a few sips I returned to the photo for another look-see. The wine must have been just what I needed because when I returned to my Bubble I noticed the photographers watermark. That was it! In my wine induced brilliance I decided right then and there my inspiration would be the airy watermark flower.

As a design team member we get to select a free digital image from the sponsors. (Sweet deal! Right?) So I scoured the Bugaboo Stamps site (closing my eyes when I encountered the sock monkey digitals) until I found this lovely digital tag.

So the moral of this story is...that if you ply your muse with enough wine...inspiration can be found anywhere!

WARNING!!! Sock Monkey Spoiler Alert!

Hello Tag Bye Bye Sock Monkey
~Base card - turquoise card stock
~Layer of design paper by American Crafts Yes Please
~Digital image, from Bugaboo, colored with Copics, Smooch, and Stickles, outer edge smudged with pink, yellow, orange inks, spritzed with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, framed with olive green cardstock
~Sentiment: alphabet tag sticker with gold cord through hole in 'H'
~Three pearls colored using Sharpies
~Prima butterfly with rhinestone
~Ribbons
~Epoxy brad by The Paper Studio
Challenges/Inspirations
{PIN}spirational - photo (beware - it involves a sock monkey)
Brown Sugar - anything goes
Savvy Handmade Cards - photo (color) inspiration
Card Mania - anything goes
Make It Monday - anything goes

Thanks for clicking by...and remember...mums the word about my sock monkey phobia.
Nancy in Iowa

Leaves for Lunch

Ever have one of those cards that you "finish" even to the point of taking a photo and making an envelope? And then it just glares at you from the "file this pile"... Well there was just something 'off' about this card. So...I plucked it apart for a 'mulligan'. I should post a 'before' photo but I deleted it. Yes! It was JUST THAT BAD! 

So...not sure this is mega-better. But trust me - it is BETTER.  As I'm typing this I'm wondering...what if you think THIS version is an ugly-to-the-bone card? What if you are thinking..THIS is a DO-OVER? How UGLY was the FIRST version?

Then I got to wondering - why in the heck did I choose leaves to put in the basket... Who does that? Why didn't I choose the wagon from the Taylored Expressions' A Bushel & A Peck. Who rakes up leaves and puts them in a picnic basket?! Maybe some crazed vegan squirrel???!! While I was plucking it apart I should have redone the image. I guess this poor card never had a chance.

You will just have to trust me...this is MUCH better than the first version. (Even with the leaves in a picnic basket.)

Thankful for Colorful Leaves

~Base card Stampin' Up card stock

~Strips of DCWV Indian Summer Fall Glitter Matstack

~Strip of coral card stock topped with more of the same Indian Summer collection

~Circle die cut and two smaller circle die cuts

~Leaves embellishmen (plucked from a silk bunch of stems)

~Image stamped and colored with Copics

Challenges/Inspirations

Ladybug - photo challenge/inspiratrion

My Sheri Crafts - fall, thanksgiving
Stampin' for the Weekend - autumn/fall colors
Pile it On - tools (Cuttlebug, Spellbinders scallop circles - 2 varieties, punch card)
Creative Knockouts - punches/die cuts

Thank you for clicking by and for tolerating my 'mulligan' and not laughing too hard at my "picnic".
Thanks,
Nancy in Iowa

A Challenging Christmas

Nothing like a new challenge to get me out of my comfort zone! Just Us Girls' challenge is to create a word-background. Let me tell you this was REALLY a challenge for me! The first part of the challenge was deciding on the sentiments. Then I unearthed a set of Hero Arts border stamps wwwaaaayyyy in the back of one of my two Christmas stamp drawers. I must admit I had a few do-overs. I told you it was a challenge!

Merry, Bright, Holidays
~Base card - Stampin' Up card stock
~Layer of diagonal stripe card stock from Michael's
~Layer of Cryogen White stamped using Hero Arts Border Stamps using an assortment of inks, spritzed with Tattered Angel's Glitter Mist, edges curved using punch
~Corner poinsettia die cut using Spellbinders and Cuttlebug and Christmas card stock The 12 Days from Michael's (deep clearance sale last year!!)
~Snowflake is a 3-D sticker from the 97 cent bin at Walmart
~Merry Christmas sentiment stamped with Versamark and Adirondack Moss embossing powder
Challenges/Inspirations
Just Us Girls - word background
Crafty Calendar - all things Christmas
Retro Sketches - sketch
CRAFT Challenge - Christmas

Thanks for clicking by,
Nancy in Iowa

Melancholy Memories

Am I feeling melancholy because I kind of get that way when making sympathy cards? Or am I feeling melancholy because I actually NEED a supply of sympathy cards? Then there are the 'thinking of you in hard times' cards...

I "fussy-cut" the center vertical design paper so that the word "memories" is centered. Once I'm finished with this post I think I need to work on a brightly colored card. Or maybe just make a sympathy card that is less somber?

Not sure why these two photos are so vastly different in tone... The inside and the outside do match... For some reason the inside-of-the-card pic looks very washed out. Too lazy to re-shoot the photos...It's Sunday...I can be lazy if I want. Right?

Inside

Thoughts of You

~Base card - confetti card stock

~Design paper by Prima Printery collection

~Stampin' Up Framelits Floral Frames dies cut

~Stamped sentiments

~Ribbon (one of those ribbons that I questioned why I bought it...but I think it works here?)

~Curved corner punch

Challenges/Inspirations

Deconstructed Sketch - sketch

Thanks for clicking by,

Nancy in Iowa