A Joni-Inspired Thanks...CASE Study #181

I'm still basking in the joy of having met Geri this weekend; a feeling that I know will stay with me for a long time to come.  My sweet friend Shannon left an awesome comment on my post (please check out  her blog - she's hopping for a most incredibly special cause!), about the wonderful mystical magical ways the universe works, with a wish that we could "abracadbra, hocus-pocus, and *poof* - free travel to meet crafty friends any time we want." I couldn't agree with her more!

Today, I'm sharing my card inspired by Joni's beautiful art work over at CASE Study #181:

Joni's talents are supremely remarkable; every card is filled with 'special touch' details and techniques. All the 'little bits' add up to "wholes" that are fabulous in every way.  My card is very much a 'minimalist' version of the elements of Joni's card that caught my eye: the black and white background, and the lovely frame, with a wee snippet of floral print peeking from its bottom edge and a whisper of a pretty pink flower adorning the top.  Of course, a search of my stash revealed nary a piece of black and white striped paper, so I'm adapting as best I can, as per usual...

Although it appears rather 'flat' in the photo, I've used foam adhesive on the label, frame and flowers, and cut the 'thanks' several times for 'thickening'.  

Since you're here...we're heading to visit my family on Friday (excitement amping up!), where we'll be celebrating the *family* birthday party for my niece, who turned 4 on the 3rd, and my nephew, turning 2, on the 12th.  Of late, my niece quite enjoys playing "going to a show", where we have dual roles: we're the guests - and have to give the (imaginary) ticket-taking person our tickets so we can attend - AND we're also the actresses of the play that we're supposedly watching.  The layers of her imagination are sometimes staggering in their complexity...and ever so much fun!  Last performance, I decided to be a unicorn - a purple one with a sparkly mane and pink-nail polished hooves.  She gave me her adorable "quizzical" look (I could read her mind: she was thinking "What's up with that, Aunty C?") and instantly decided she'd be a fairy princess, also in purple, with a wand. (We have no costumes; we just pretend...it works).  Somehow, the princess and the unicorn wound up at the zoo...

Sometimes it's a good thing that we're the only two playing together, because I'm pretty sure no one else would quite comprehend what we're up to (especially when we cross dimensions of time and space to be both the audience and the players).  Yes indeed.  ANYWAY, my point that I'm trying to make, before the blithering took hold: I made her a card, using my MCT envelope die, filled with tickets.  Now we can have 'real' tickets to give to the 'imaginary' ticket-taker....

I totally cased Katie's card here, in girly colours...

Thanks so much for dropping by; your visit and comments make my day!

I MET GERI!! So fantastic...and a card: Muse #57

You’ve seen her cards:  clean, precise, perfectly executed stunning works of art.

You’ve received her comments:  thoughtful, personalized, detailed, complimentary, spirit-lifting, morale-boosting (especially in my case J) words of art.

If you’ve met her in person, you’ve met a beautiful, smiling, brilliant, funny, articulate, positive, kind-hearted individual who is, in every possible way, a delightful, precious gem!

I’m speaking of none other than our wonderfully talented, always effervescent, tremendously engaging, Geri, from Manitoba Stamper, who I had the ultra-awesome absolute x 10000000 pleasure of meeting this Saturday!!  Talk about WOW x WOW x WOW!

When Geri let me know, a few weeks back, that she would be traveling west to visit her daughter, ‘getting together’ was simply  a ‘must do’.   She and her daughter decided they’d make the trek from the ‘big city’ to my little town, and we arranged to meet at a local coffee shop.   I’m pretty sure that my excitement level went well beyond the Richter scale as the days…the hours…the minutes ticked down for Geri and I to see one another in the flesh.  I walked in the door, spotted her immediately, and OMG!! My heart melted!! Those of you who have met ‘blogging friends’ know well the experience and powerful emotion that come when the magical, mystical ways of the universe bring us together beyond the realm of computers and laptops, into reality. 

Hugs?  Only YES!

Conversation?  Only oodles.

 

 Feeling like I’ve known her for years upon years upon years?  Only absolutely! 

We lapsed into chatting about such a variety of topics (including bikes!!), as though we were old friends, catching up on the latest news.  No one, I’m sure, listening in our conversation, would ever suspect this was a ‘first date.’   Every word, every minute (the time passed far too quickly!), every  smile, every everything, I will treasure!    An extra bonus:  sharing time with Geri’s daughter, who is every bit as lovely, sparkling, energetic, upbeat and charming as her mom.  That they love one another deeply: pretty darn obvious, from where I was sitting – and what a joy to behold!

We won’t talk about the good-bye hugs…makes tears spring to my eyes ...so instead, I’ll say this:  Geri, thank you exponentially for your gift of precious time given to me; thank you for letting me get to know you a little better; thank you for listening to me prattle and babble on and on;  thank you for allowing me to meet your daughter – and how gracious of her to include me in your special mom-daughter bonding time.   Priceless…this visit was priceless!  My hope: that there will be more visits down the road.  Many, many more! 

Here we are:  Geri’s the beauty on the right (see what I mean about that smile of her's...infectious!), and I’m the "sprinkled with grey, crazy-hair goofy grinner" on the left, in total glee at sitting next to a really, really special friend!!

Happy sighhhh....I'm ready for 'next time' already! And I'm hoping - as I'm sure many of us are - that my path will cross with others in this oh-so-nurturing community.  The blogging world is wonderful, but 'real life' visits...oh, they are marvelous!! 

Before I close: a quick card to share for this week’s Muse #57 challenge, inspired by Vicki's oh-so-pretty butterfly creation:

Thanks so much for dropping by; your visit and comments make my day!

Thanks...Cure for the Monday Blues #7, Wanna Sketch #13, Less is More #161: Yellow and Green

Hello,

I'm way x a kazillion tooooo jiggly and fidgety to write much more than: I'm meeting Geri, from The Manitoba Stamper, in real life, this weekend!!!  Gahhh....in person!  In the flesh!  I pinched myself - it hurt - so I'm not dreaming!  EXCITED!!!

My card is a simple little number, inspired by Taheerah's Cure for the Monday Blues #7

 Isn't this yummy-pretty?  The yellow, wood and that little peep of green on the top left caught my eye.

Sketch inspiration, which is a must-have for me, comes from Lisa's Wanna Sketch #13

Some yellow and green also means a jaunt to Less is More #161: Yellow and Green.

Here we go...it's more vibrant in real life, but 'you get the picture' here..

Thanks so much for dropping by; your visit and comments make my day!

A Little Note of Love....Annabelle Stamps #176: February Challenge

Guess who's turning FOUR today....my niece!!  Gahhh....I can't believe my sweet little girl has gone from this little darling who completely stole my heart at first glance - or rather, at the very second my brother called to say she was born...oh, look at me, I'm welling up with tears! -

 (Umm...ignore me here...my hair is MUCH more grey and crazy wild curly...)

 to this 'bigger' darling, who every second of every day, makes my heart happy (as does her little brother).

Sighhh...I suggested to her, during my last visit as I was carrying  her (because we decided that carrying is a good thing - on account of  'it's like walking with hugs" -  and my carrying opportunities are becoming shorter), that perhaps she should stop growing up so fast. Her response, "You're craaaazzyyy, Aunty C!"  She tells me that a lot...  Her birthday party with all her daycare pals will be this Sunday, and the following weekend, we'll be heading to visit.  Family birthday is 100% on the agenda!  By that time, my nephew will have turned two (gahhhh...again!), so double the fun!!

Anyway, on that note of exponential LOVE...time to show you a little love card. Remember these two cards from a previous post (Cure for the Monday Blues challenge) featuring my Annabelle Stamps Scribble Scrabble 2: in the Square?  

I decided to bring that set out once again to play in the Annabelle Stamps #176 Theme Challenge: Love

Seven stamps on the card + two on the matching envelope...the more I use this set, the more possibilities I see...

After I post this, I'm calling my niece to wish her a most HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY...a little 'call' filled with a whole lot of love!!

Thanks so much for dropping by; your visit and comments make my day!

*You Are....* Little Tangles #31: Monochromatic, The Pink Elephant #239: Use Pink

Far, far too much time has passed since I played in a Little Tangles challenge, so I decided to make up for it. Challenge #31 invites us to use monochromatic colours, which I did.

Times three.  I *had* to do something to let the wonderful Tangles gals know that I truly do delight in their challenges!  I'll be paying closer attention, for sure.

Three Neat and Tangled sets appear on my cards - Across the Card, Kindness Matters and On the Strip - as well as select Birthday Bash sequins.  After re-connecting with my N&T products, I've also decided they deserve a whole lot more love; they are of exceptional quality. And the fonts used in the Kindness Matters set...swoon-inducing.

Here's my little set of "You are...." in blue, purple/lilac, and pink:

     

The pink one is heading off to The Pink Elephant Challenge #239

The set posing together:

Thanks so much for dropping by; your visit and comments make my day!

Typewriter Birthday...Freshly Made Sketches #125

Sunday evening, and I confess: I didn't even poke my nose outside this entire weekend. Perhaps not the smartest decision, as we all know that fresh air is invigorating, refreshing, healing. In my defense, I'll say the same thing about card-making *grin*...

Quick post to share my bright, cheery little birthday card, heading off to Freshly Made Sketches #125:

Isn't this a wonderful sketch...so many possibilities, as you can see in the over 100 entries already posted! I'm liking it plenty!

The file folder seems a bit bare, but I wanted the focus on the typewriter and the fun letters. Doodlebug paper rocks!!

Thanks so much for dropping; your visit and comments make my day!

Tulip Birthday...Cure for the Monday Blues #6, CASology #84: Paint, CAS(E) this Sketch #66, Virginia's View Challenge #1: Watercolouring

Hokey smokes but we're having a spate of friiiigid temperatures here: -31C today. On the plus side though, the forecast is for more spring-like temperatures, accompanied with sunny, sunny skies, by the weekend, so fingers crossed that happens.

Perhaps it's the wishing (and whining, I admit) for flowers to bloom that inspired the card I'll be sharing...or perhaps it's the amazing challenges I'm entering that are floral and water-coloured themed...or perhaps it's the 'came across' a stamp I haven't used since last September while searching for something else...Whatever and wherever the sparks came from, I hope my gold embossed + pink water-coloured tulip birthday card brings a bit of 'spring' to your day....

I'm entering a number of challenges (although I think Darnell holds the most challenges for 1 card record; she's awesome that way.  Wait...she's awesome in every way...).

First, is Cure for the Monday Blues #6, where Taheerhah has inspired us with this glamorous *strictly sparkle* table setting.  The pink flowers, black and white place mat and gold were the sparks for my card.

Second, is CAS(E) this Sketch #66, designed by Julie Day.  The possibilities for filling the panel...infinite...so that's where my tulip found its stage...(oops...my sentiment went sideways rather than horizontal. Must. pay closer. attention!)

Third, is CASology #84, with "paint" as the cue word,

which I took literally: my tulip is water-coloured with distress markers.

Fourth, I'm off to a new challenge, hostessed by the amazingly talented (and fellow Canadian...yayyy!) Virginia Lu, owner of Yes, Virginia, called Virginia's View Challenge.  Her first invitation: water-colouring.   I've been trying really hard to re-create some of the yummy water-coloured backgrounds that are liberally peppering the card-making community of late, but evidently my ability to shift from 'I get it' to 'I can do this' is missing strategic steps.  Even watching Jennifer M's videos hasn't helped...pa-thet-ic me! Maybe it's because I have control issues *grin* and like my inks exactly where I place them, rather than giving them free reign to settle as they please.  For now, I hope my 'water-colouring inside the lines' is okay, and we'll see if I can progress beyond...maybe.

After all that lead-up, here's my tulip card...gold-embossed and pinkly water-coloured..

Just a side note: my water-colour paper is driving me crazy. It. is. not. white.  I can't find white water-colour paper anywhere, so please bear with me while I use up the zillion sheets of 'good quality' but not white paper I have.

I'm off to practice some more water-colouring backgrounds; just going to let things 'flow' and see what happens.  If that doesn't work...hello, my dear dies (I 'may' have ordered some more on Friday...just sayin')

Thanks so much for dropping by; your visit and comments make my day!