There are great people out there.

Recently I made a new friend that both of us are rather surprised as how our friendship grew and blossomed so fast. I have enjoyed her company quiet a bit and our children have enjoyed each other company too. She has helped me so much in a healing level that I am greatly thankful for having her in my life.

So, we had a girls night out this week with sushi, coffee, a brisk walk, and lots of talk. As I made this card I thought about her and the time we spent together and how much new insights I got from our talking. Of course I feel very thankful for it all and her friendship is more than a blessing. This card has a bit of texture, a bit of layers, and a bit of color too, just like my friend. The Painted Blossoms DSP was used for both the background and foreground; I used the Filigree Frame TIEF for the Daffodil Delight top panel and I love the effect it gave. The ribbon is perfect in Blackberry Bliss, which is the same color for the layers. The sentiment I got from the Simply Sketch, which I had not touched in a while.

Thank you for your visit today. I enjoyed having you over. Please come again. Be well

Miriam

And the inspirations continue. Check out the other Dostamper Starts work of art:

Connie
Michelle
Sharon
Ashley

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He deserves it.

I like making masculine cards, but most of the time find myself not making them. I know, I know, it is weird., but that does not mean that I do not make them. I do and today that's precisely what I did.

I like to have some festive looks to the card, rather than somber and too serious. I know several men that would enjoy such a card. I used the SSSC 279 as a start point and paired that up nicely with the Bohemian DSP, the Sassy Salutations stamp set, which I cut using the Apothecary Accents framelits. A touch of Chevron Ribbon completed the looks. Will you not agree that he deserves it? A nice card is sure to bring a warm smile to his face.

Thank you for visiting today. Come back again soon. Be well

Miriam

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50% Off Your First Two Months of Paper Pumpkin

If you haven’t tried Paper Pumpkin kits, now is a great time to sign up-get 50% off your first two months.  For new subscribers only!
Offer Dates:  July 23 – September 10, 2015
Offer Details (for new subscribers only): Use the code HALFOFF  to join Paper Pumpkin before September 10, 2015, and get 50% off the first two months! After that, keep the creativity coming for only $19.95 + tax per month (shipping included).
SIGNING UP IS EASY!

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SEE PAPER PUMPKIN KITS IN ACTION with these Stampin’ Up! YouTube videos!

Example of a past Paper Pumpkin kit.  Each month is a surprise!

The Fine Print:

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• Discount applied to one kit per month for the first two months of a new subscription. After the first two months, the price for each month’s kit will renew at the regular price: $19.95.
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You will love the Paper Pumpkin and sharing with friends and family will make it all that much more special.

Hugs to you.

Miriam

From the ground up!

I am so excited that my garden is yielding some wonderful food already. We are pulling carrots on a daily basis and just enough for us to eat them raw and on the spot - after washing of course. My children are also finding a bit of cucumbers and tomatoes are working hard on getting ripe. All that we started with much love and from seeds. It is great how children will eat if they see the food grow.

The children is also growing and new phases happen every day. New challenges, new perspectives, new ideas, and new attitude are sprouting every moment and it is hard to keep it up. I love seeing the development and changes, nonetheless. They are like flowers that changes slightly with each ray of sun. With that thought I picked up some paper and put this card together for The Paper Players challenge 255. The English Garden DSP served as the background and the Birthday Blossoms for the sentiment and image. Lots of Labels framelits was used for the sentiment and a touch of ribbon was used to make this adorable bow.

Thank you for visiting today. I love have you over! Be well

Miriam

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Thank you Summer.

It is a wonderful thing to start the day with a fresh cup of coffee, then a walk to the garden and end up with a huge harvest of collard greens and delicious carrots. My children just cannot eat enough carrots and pulling them fresh from the ground is a sweet treat. Do you plant a garden? What are you growing this year?

I am managing to get some time at my craft area, but it is hard with such beautiful weather. We had friends over yesterday and the children were exhausted by the end of the day. Mission accomplished! I am playing along today with the CCMC 365 challenge and we have a nice sketch. For my card, I used the new Wild About Flowers as the main image and the sentiment from Sheltering Tree stamp set. The background is from the Painted Blooms DSP and I like the simplicity of it. The image was stamped and then cut using  the Oval Collections framelits and then the Blackberry Bliss was cut 2 sizes bigger to frame the image. I add a bit of a perfect bow and the Burlap ribbon to complete the look. And with the I completed the card and can say I am thankful for everything in my life and that includes you. Thank you.

Be well

Miriam

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Sunny get well.

Why sunny? Well, the weather has been sunny and beautiful, and I do feel much better on days that the sun is shining bright.

This week I did not spend much time on my craft area. Lots of things going on and my husband is on a business trip, so my days are sort of running together and with the beautiful days we are spending plenty time outdoors. But I could not longer resist and made few cards, including this one for Pals Paper Arts challenge 261.  The background is the retired Modern Medley DSP and I stamped the Flowering Flourishes directly on it. The flowers are from the Flower Shop and Crazy About you, while the sentiment is from the lovely Sassy Salutation, which was cut with the Label Bracket punch. I even cut an extra one in Crushed Curry to make a layer and continue with the color selection.
Now, the Flower Shop flower - top one - was stamped, punched, and then sponged for a bit more color. The Crazy About You flower  was punched with the 1-3/4" Scallop punch and I traced the lines using the Basic Black Marker. I love the touch it adds.

Thank you for visiting today. I look forward to have you visit again. Be well

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Summer birthday.

The nice weather sometimes brings the storms and over the weekend several areas around the Midwest were affected by severe weather and tornadoes. I hope everywhere in the path of the storm were spared from harm. I was setting up at the Farmer's market when the storm brew and came down hard for one hour. But then, it cleared up and things proceeded as normal.

Anyway, despite the misbehaved weather, I had to prepare some cards, and decided on a birthday theme using the CCMC 364 and Splitcoast Stampers SC 549 as my inspiration. The Sweet Lil' Things DSP is showcased here as the top paper, then I used Modern Medley and Regals Collection DSP stack. Sentiment and the flower are both from the new Birthday Blossoms stamp set. I add a button at the center of the flower just for a bit of a pop. Now, the layers were cut individually taking care to make the lower edge so I was able to layer them in this fashion. I did not use full layer for each of them, instead I cut a piece that fit the open area and cut the scallop edge. Otherwise the card can became really top heavy with so many full layers.

Thank you for visiting today and please do come back soon. Be well

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It's all yours.

It seems that lots of people are reaching the age of retirement, and it is a nice gesture to show how much the work they did throughout the years was appreciated. A beautiful handmade card can do precisely that.

Therefore, today's card is a perfect example of a retirement card that shows appreciation. The sketch is from the Pals Paper Arts challenge 260, going along with the sentiment from the Wild About Flowers stamp set. I used the Gold Soiree Specialty DSP as a background and the new Labels Framelits for the flowers from the same stamp set. I found that the Wild About Flowers set is one of those sets that I hardly need a separate set. Love that. I add the retired Raspberry Ripple ribbon with double loop bow which I made with My Bow Maker.

Make today extra special and enjoy this unique day in ways you have not done in a while. Be well.


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Dahlia

Do these colors look like your neighborhood? In a way, it does look like mine. My neighbor has some blue flowers, I have roses that are red, and the green is lush everywhere. I love summer!

That said, these colors from Dostamper Stars challenge 141 did not scare me at all. The Definitely Dahlia background stamp looks stunning in red, don't you think? The Dots for Days background worked well enough to almost look like small leaves, or perhaps grass, even. That bit of Pacific Point is my blue sky that brings us all warmth and wonder. It is amazing, just like that little bow that was easy put together using My Bow Maker.

Get some colors on your next project. You will love it and it brightens the day. Thank you for visiting today. I love to read your comments and hope you will take a moment to say hi. Be well

And find more inspiration on this challenge:

• Connie Plaumann: Cottage Greetings Card
• Ashley Simmons: No Bones About it Card
  
• Sharon Bennett: Angled Pocket Fold Card
  
• Robyn Rasset: No Bones About it Card
  
• Judy Strickling: Amazing Birthday Card
  
• Dawn Olchefske: You're Sublime Card
  

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Celebrate Summer.

This week is going by too fast, it seems. I have been my usual busy and start thinking about the new school year and working on getting things set up to start my son on kindergarden next year. He is very eager to learn, so it is time to start him. He is used to the routine of the house and the exemplary sister. I hope he will be as good a student as my daughter. Having them home is truly a blessing.

Then, I decide it is time to continue to celebrate summer. The children and I are enjoying the weather and some fresh vegetables from the garden. There are some specs of yellow flowers,  all shades of green, and the colors are vibrant against the rich dark soil. The colors are perfect together and combined with the Mojo Monday challenge 406 it was a perfect combination. I use the new Floral Wings stamp set, which I have to say is one of my favorites from the new catalog. The Butterfly Basics stamp set was used for the back panel and the green panel was embossed with the Lovely Lace TIEF. The urge to add a perfect looking bow could not be resisted, and My Bow Maker delivered the perfect bow yet again.

Thank you very much for visiting today. I hope you will stop by again soon. Be well.

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Ciao!

Adulthood life is not easy, but it sure is wonderful The people we meet, the responsibilities that brings, the freedoms, and all the lessons we learn along the way. Nothing beats meeting people. Some will be greatly missed, other will soon be forgotten. Having a full time job was always a joy and I truly enjoyed my last two full time job: one in the hospitality industry and the other as a freelancer interpreter. In both I met plenty of people and enjoyed every thing about it all.

But people also move one. Today's card is to celebrate the work life of adulthood. We all are going to retire sooner or later. Some co-workers will be missed others, not so much. Well, let's concentrate on the first category and have this card to them. The inspiration for it came from the CCMC 363, and in addition to some retired DSP, I used the Bordering Blooms stamp set to create the vine on the side panel. The punched out flowers are from the Flower Shop stamp set, and the sentiment is from the lovely Wild About Flower stamp set, which were punched out with the Label Bracket punch.  The center of the flowers just need an added something, and for that the Boho Blossom punch worked perfectly well.

Let's all enjoy the people in our lives and let them know how much they are appreciated.

Have a beautiful week. Be well

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Please be well.

As we drove around today, running errands before going to a church festival that is right by our house, we saw a homeless young lady at an intersection. A beautiful young lady and I gave her something to, if nothing else, ward off the hunger on her stomach. I felt really bad for seeing her in that situation, which I dare not to judge. I sure hope that good winds will blow her way and provide her with great opportunities.

I made this card thinking of that young lady. I am thinking and sending good thoughts her way and I hope they reach her. The sketch is from the Splitcoast Sketch Challenge 548 and with all those layers I thought it to be layers of energy enveloping each one of us. I use retired DSP as I thought the warmth of the colors match the warm weather. The sentiment is from Perfect Pennants stamp set.

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This? or That?

I like cards that have a clear definition of the theme, but I also like to have some cards at hand that can go with couple - or more - themes.

For today's DoStamper Stars challenge 140 the prepared card fit the second category. I can see this card going to a young lady on her birthday, but I can also see this card going to a bridal shower, or graduate, or even retirement. The theme neutrality of it was obtained by keeping it simple and going for an equally neutral sentiment. The Awesomely Artistic stamp set gave the Rose Red edge an elegant feel. The sentiment from the And Many More stamp set fit well inside the little label. Looking back, I should have stamped the label in Daffodil Delight and the sentiment in Rose Red. Nonetheless I like the simplicity and versatility of this card. Thank you for visiting today. Be well.

There are more inspiration to go around using the Dostamper Stars challenge. Check them out:

Connie
Robyn
Heidi


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Oh! All the colors!

While I like to think of myself as a colorful person, I suffer from chronic case of mixing or combining colors. There has been endless cases of color combo challenges that cause me severe dread until I tried. I was pleasantly surprised as to how well certainly colors go together.

The New In-colors have been in my house for a bit already, but I have not solicited from them much until today, and I must say that I love them all. I used the RetroSketch challenge 171 to create today's card and wanted to use all the new colors. I used the Bordering Blooms stamp set in Watermelon Wonder, then the  Birthday Blossoms both in Delightful Dijon and Cucumber Crush. Tip Top Taupe was used for the embossed Elegant Dots background and the Mint Macaroon served as the layer for the sentiment. Despite of the amount of colors used, I like the turn out. Well, there you have it, a cure for the most chronic of color cases. Now, get the colors out and play. Thank you for visiting today and have a colorful day.


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Bright thank you.

Well, hello. I hope you are all enjoying some beautiful and warm weather. I tell you, my garden is thriving despite the cooler temperatures. I am yet to see raspberries from my garden, but am getting some greens and hope to have some carrots soon too. Tomatoes, on the other hand, that will be a while.

While I patiently wait for more bountiful harvest, I get to play a bit more in my craft room. I prepared a card for the Dostamper Stars challenge 139  using a bit of Gold Soiree DSP, a bit of retired colors (how can you blame me?) and the new Wild About Flowers stamp set. This new set is perfect and I can hardly not use it. I picked up the sentiment from the long retired Something to Believe set and a bit of sequins for an added touch.

Wishing you a bounty summer with plenty to celebrate and with many, many memorable moments to be thankful for. Be well.

Here are more inspiration for you:

Connie
Judy
Michelle
Sharon
Robyn

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Blossoms for you!

The nice warm weather has taken a leave on us, but I sure hope to see it back soon. No warm days means more time in my craft room.

I have worked on some commissioned work but had time to prepare today's card for the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 275. The new Birthday Blossoms stamp set was put to work here along with the Lovely Lace TIEF. I picked up some paper from my stash and the card was born, but not before I did a bit of fussy cutting for the sentiment. I love the simplicity of this card.

Thank you so much for your visit today. Please visit again. Be well

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