ROTC

Family post today....
Hallo,
Here are some pictures I took yesterday at 'graduation' Both the kiddos are doing ROTC this year and this was the end of ROTC Summer Leadership camp.
The one with the kids standing next to each other I had to enlist the help of Chief to 'make' them stand next to each other long enough for a picture......
I think they both look pretty sharp in their uniforms!!!
All for today
Tera

Sweet Pirate

Hallo,
A bit of a 'sweet' post for you today before I get in the pool - hot, hot, hot here in NW Florida these days!!!!
This is a card I did for this weeks challenge over at 'Sweet Pea Stampers' - the challenge was 'anything goes' but I had a similar card in mind for last weeks challenge which was black,white and one other color but I didn't get time to get done.....
Check out the blog for awsome Sweet Pea inspiration - www.sweetpeastampschallenge.blogspot.com
I stamped this sweet pirate mermaid onto sparkly gold cardstock from 'Paper Temptress' and colored her with copics. The copics don't lay down or blend quite as nice but since they are sort of translucent some of the gold shimmer shows through so its a really nice affect.
I layered her onto dark patterned gray and then onto a black and cream felted paper which I love!!!
Added a black bow and some rhinestones and that was all she said she needed.


You can kind of see more of the gold shimmer in these last 2 photos but still not as shimmery as in real life :)
All for tonight - Take Care
Tera

Beach Bum

Hallo,
Well I didn't get much stamping done today....... I had plans to but they got waylayed, I had also planned to get groceries and stop at the base thrift shop to consign some stuff and didn't get those done either......I did however get 3 loads of laundry done and hung out on the line to dry - which got rained on while I took the kids shopping for school stuff and clothes......arrrgggg
I was a good girl and got on the eliptical and did my stretches but between that and the school shopping that was all I managed to get done today.
And as I often do I managed to forget to take something out to thaw for super so we are having pizza.......


I did this card last week for one of the challenges over at Stamp TV and the random number genie picked me this time and I won a stamp set from Gina K!!!!!!
If you haven't been over to Stamp TV you really need to pop in - it is a great resource site for techniques, challenges (with great prizes) and just an overall wonderful community of stampers!!!! It is even free to join!!!!
All for today - gotta get the pizza in the oven and decided what to do about laundry - i.e. fold it myself or tell DD whose chore it is to get to it - again, and again, and again......ahhhhh welll......
Take Care
Tera

Vintage Love

Hallo,
I have 2 cards for you today - both done for Mo's Digital challenge for paper piecing. I actually have 4 more to finish tomorrow because as often happens with me I couldn't decide which papers/colors to use so did several.....
Check out the challenge here - http://www.mosdigitalchallenge.blogspot.com/
The main image is called 'Jack and Ginger' and I just love them - they are sooo sweet!!!
I ran some BG 6X6 DP through my printer and it worked great!!!
In the first card only Gingers skirt is paper pieced and in the second Gingers skirt, shirt and hat as well as Jacks pants are all paper pieced.
All for tonight - starting to get a bit sleepy (well sleepier). I got home from work this am at 730 and ran the kids to ROTC camp and then came home for a short nap (about 3 and 1/2 hours) and back to pick the kids up, dropping one off to do some volunteer hours at the hospital and coming home to eat lunch, check email and start playing in my craft room. Another trip to pick up kiddo, finish off these 2 cards in time to vacume the pool and do about 45 minutes of water aerobics.....yup me sleepy.
See ya tomorrow - Take Care
Tera

Ahhhh fooie - I missed the deadline by a scant hour...... :(

Sweet Evening Friends

Hallo,
Here's a quick card for you this am before I head off to sleep. I did this card for a challenge on Copic Creations shortly after I found Sweet Pea Stamps as well as Copic Creations. The challenge was for monochrome and I used copic cool grays.
I just love this Sweet Pea image with the cat - so sweet. But then I love my kitty - my Fancy cat is 19 and 1/2 years old and sleeps most nights/days right next to my pillow or curled up in the crock of my arm. (very spoiled)
I paired her up with some subtle black and white DP and several Spellbinders labels dies and a tag die. I added a few white and black pearls for accents.
All for today - one more day(night...) to work and then 5 off!!!!!
Take Care
Tera

Sizzled Circuts

Hallo,
Getting a few things done around the house, as well as running the kiddos to ROTC day camp. I finished off some cleaning in my craft room - too bad I have to wait until wednesday to accually do some crafting as I work tonight and tomorrow night...
I did this awhile ago and really liked how it turned out.
The backrounder is from CHF (sadly closing) which I embossed in silver onto green cardstock. I then embossed the robot (from My Favorite Things) also in silver and colored him with copics.
All for today - need to get a couple more things done and try to grab a quick nap before work tonight....
Take Care
Tera

Happiness....

Hallo,
I had a very busy day - have a few minutes here before I have to get some supper ready and go to work.
My DS and a couple friends wanted to go to the waterpark today so I ran them out there to be there when it opened at 10 - then my DD and I spent the day doing thrift shops and indoor flea markets (believe me this is no weather to be outside in for me - waaaayyyy too HOT!!!!).
We went to 3 thrift shops, 2 indoor flea markets and one Estate sale. I really didn't buy much - I found a few cigar boxes (one from the estate sale was full of old slides that looked like they came from an art history lesson), 2 briefcases, a wood writing desk with some great filigree scroll work on the lid and some great vintage lace doilies......then we had lunch at Panera bread before running back out to get the guys.
I dropped them off at home and made a quick run for groceries and then vacumed the pool fast before the rain hit.
I may just have to do jumping jacks at work tonight to stay awake (I rarely have any trouble staying awake even my first night on - I never manage to get a nap....)



Anyway - todays card was made awhile back for a sketch challenge over at Stamp TV. The phrase is from Gina K.
The flower was done with the flower dies from Tim Holtz from scraps from other projects - 2 of the scraps are from pieces of cuttlebugged paper distressed with distress inks and the green layer has a backrounder from CHF stamped onto it...
All for today - gotta get me some grub going....
Take Care
Tera

Wish

Hallo,
Just a quick little post for you this am as I am headed for the craft room to do a bit of reorganizing (just a bit as to do more would require several weeks and possible a backhoe... :)
Staying with the beach theme today, I am using some of the seashells I had left from my birdhouse project (I have a ton left over - I way over estimated how many I would use on the birdhouses, but thats ok because it means ready made seashells for cards...)
The backround is 'sanded coredinations' technique from Technique Junkies with one of my new Tim Holtz texture folders.
The trio was done by glueing shells to blue cardstock and cutting them out with a Spellbinders label die in my cuttlebug. I added a flat backed pearl to the middle one 'just beacause it needed it...'


I dug out a jar that held beads already mixed with glue to use on the strip, but alas the glue was mostly dried up -!!! NOTE TO SELF!!! - USE YOUR GOODIES BEFORE THEY DRY UP ect!!!! Oh well I made it work by crumbling the rubbery glue/bead mixture up and sticking it to a strip of double sided tape. And then glued some smaller seashells above the bead strip.
The little string of 3 pearls after the phrase accually covers up a small smude :) - remember the bigger pearl attatched to the shell 'just because' - well it was 'just because' it matched/tied-in the small row after the phrase..... :) funny how that works sometimes!!! :)
All right - time to get to work, I only have a few hours this am because the kids have appointments for school physicals this afternoon and DD is babysitting an itty bitty but very active munchkin at our house this afternoon......
Take Care
Tera
P.S. All stamps from Gina K - colored with copics....

Birdhouses - lots of Birdhouses!!!

Hallo,
Lots of pictures to show you today of my little herd of birdhouses...
I started out planning to make one of these for a friend who likes the beach - then another, and one for myself, then.....well anyhow I ended up with 7 big ones and 2 small ones.
I have been working on these for a couple weeks now - I had planned for them to be Christmas presents but really am out of extra storage room, besides I can see no reason for everyone not to enjoy them now....

These started as just plain wood birdhouses from A.C. Moore - first I painted them all a nice deep aquamarine blue (letting dry overnight between all these next steps). Next a coat of crackle finish, followed by the turquoise paint.
I then added the thick tan colored crackle paste to the bottoms to look like sand.
The roofs are done with the 'faux rusty metal' technique from Technique Junkies - only I then ran them through a texture folder on my cuttlebug and swiped some black acrylic paint over the texture.
The seashells are stamps from Gina K and I did several 8X11 sheets of them - colored them with copics and cut them all out......that took a loonnnggg time!!!!
I then attatched the seashells to the birdhouses with mod podge, and the roof of each as well.
Lastly I painted a coat of outdoor sealant over each of the birdhouses so they would be more durable. Not sure if I will try mine outside or not......probably not.....
I am hoping to get these mailed out on thursday and my next big project is to do some reorganizing in my craft room......
All for today - a couple hours sleep is in order for me and then we will see what I can get started in the craft room....


Take Care
Tera

Phindy Girl

Hallo,
A quick post for you today before I get started for the day - I was on call for work last night which means I got to relax at home to be called in if they needed me and they didn't - paycheck can't handle doing that too often but this was my first time being on call in about 6 months so it was nice. It means more stamping time for me today...
This adorable girl is a Phindy's Place image and I did her up for this weeks challenge to use 'blues' over at the Phindy's challenge blog - http://www.phindysplacechallenge.blogspot.com/
I colored her with copics and spica glitter pens (on her computer, phone, braclets and hair) and then cut her out.
I put her in her fab, bright and colorful room with 'faux painted paneling' technique from Technique Junkies and made a fab little modern art piece for her wall too - Can you tell I had fun with this one!!!!
Her rug is a piece of felt that I roughed up a bit to make it look fluffy.
All for today - off to walk the pooch and head for the craft room!!!
Take Care
Tera

Felted Flourishes

Hallo,
I did this for this weeks Timeless Tuesday challenge - FTTC75 - over at the Flourishes blog.
This week the challenge was to use felt - and for me that is a challenge as I almost never use felt. But I hadn't had a chance to do the FTTC challenge in a couple weeks so I was determined!!!
Check out the blog for more inspiration - www.flourishes.org/blog/
I used the felt as the backround - it is a tan colored piece of patterned felt and I rubbed some brown craft ink lightly over the top to bring out the texture. I used the same brown ink on the tan cardstock on which I stamped the reindeer and the phrase with dark brown ink.
I colored the reindeer with prismacolor pencils and cut him out using the 'out-of-the-box' technique from Technique Junkies with a Spellbinders labels die. I edged the reindeer panel with copper mettalic pen and then did some 'faux stitching' (also TJ) on that panel and the felt panel.

Behind the reindeer is another panel cut with a different shaped Spellbinders die - edged with copper mettalic ink also.
The metal frame around the phrase is from JoAnn's and started out as a pewter color - untill I colored it with the copper mettalic pen to match.
I added a few tiny pearls as accents - coloring one red for his nose and called him done :)
All for today - I really need to get off the computer and get ready for work now.....
Take Care
Tera

Workbasket

Hallo,
Just a quick post this am as I want to head to the craft table - I am hopeing to finish off a big project that I have been working on for awhile. I had hoped to have it done a few days ago so I could do some reorganizing in my craft room....ah well.....
I did this card for a challenge over at Stamp TV - color challenge for green and yellow . Yellow is often a challenge for me as I don't use it that often - the only color I use less is pink (I am sooo not a pink person).
All stamps are from Gina K - Lovely Labels and Nana's Needlework sets. I stamped them all onto a light gray paper and then colored with prismacolor pencils.

The yellow ribbons aren't so pale is real life - more of a light golden buttery tone for the bottom one and slightly lighter for the crochet top one but not as light as the photo....
All for today - Take Care
Tera

Poutfest

Hallo,
Just a quick post for the family here - the first Pic was taken on our mini vacation earlier this summer and the last 2 were taken yesterday.
I wanted to play with my new camera and get some good pics of the kids and they agreed to go with me and get their pictures taken but as you can see from the last 2 pics about all I got were poutfest. Get a load of the one of the 2 kids together (click on it for a larger view) complete with eye rolling .....
Anyway the first 2 pics are of Jack before and after the hair cut. ROTC starts next week.....
All for tonight......
Take Care
Tera