Purple Mountains...

Purple Mountains..., a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

Here's another steal from Susan Raihala's Simplicity blog.

Cuz it's all about the simplicity, baby. ;-)

I took the coward's way out though and cut a piece of cardstock to use with the Wrinkle Free Distress technique. I spritzed my craft mat with a bit of water after I dragged my Distress Ink Pad across it, then dragged the cardstock through that...instead of dragging the actual card blank through it. Which scared me.

Cuz I hate wasting cardblanks.

Then I stamped the mountains and the sentiment at the top.

I think it's kind of cool, but not really my favorite card. I need to practice. =D


Supplies:
Paper: Recollections (white cardblank); Recollections (white cardstock)
Stamps: Hero Arts (Thinking of You set); Stampscapes (Rocky Peaks)
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Stains (Black Soot, Dusty Concord)
ETC: Glue Glider Pro


Happy Friday, y'all! I really cannot believe tomorrow starts October! Where has this year gone??? ;-)


~Cynthia

...up above the world so high...

...up above the world so high..., a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

And this is the last in my little three part series of Cards I Shamelessly Copied From Susan Raihala's Simplicity blog.

Blue and gold is one of my favorite color combinations. Possibly because those are my high school's colors. Or possibly because they look awesome on kraft paper. ;-)

I added a bit of a twist to this one--and it's more in line with what Susan did on her blog. I stamped my sentiment then added the frame around it. I still scored two lines beneath the frame.


Supplies:
Paper: Recollections (white cardblank)
Stamps: Stampin Up (large star); Rubber Stampede (Star Trio); Stampendous (Everything Happy set)
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Chipped Sapphire, Scattered Straw)
ETC: ScorBuddy; American Crafts (Pigment Pro pen)


We finally, finally, finally got some clear blue skies and sun today!! I hit the trails for a morning hike and stood around a lot, just letting the sun warm up my soul! =D

~Cynthia

...how I wonder what you are...

...how I wonder what you are..., a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

Here's my second take on Susan Raihala's framed cards. Same as yesterday, I just used different colors.

Oh, I forgot to mention yesterday that I took the pictures outside, in the bushes--the only place we had sun in the yard. Those blotches on the card are leaf shadows. ;-)

I really like how changing the colors changes the whole tone of the card. Yesterday's was all pink and girly, but the blue here makes it more masculine-- I could use this for a young boy's birthday too.

I also scored two lines beneath the box then added the sentiment.


Supplies:
Paper: Recollections (white cardblank)
Stamps: Stampin Up (blue star); Rubber Stampede (Star Trio); Stampendous (Everything Happy set)
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Chipped Sapphire, Peeled Paint)
ETC: ScorBuddy; American Crafts (Pigment Pro pen)


I sat outside at lunch today, reading and enjoying the breeze and the precious sunshine. It's amazing how much the weather can change my mood! :-) I hope the weather is wonderful where you are today!!

~Cynthia

Twinkle, twinkle little star...

Twinkle, twinkle little star..., a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

...how I've CASE'd you from a far...

Yes, I totally stole the idea from Susan Raihala over on Simplicity. I lerved the idea of a framed area on the card. So cute!

I blocked off the area I wanted framed using sticky notes. Then I stamped the stars, drew the lines with a pen, scored two lines beneath the frame, and stamped the sentiment.

I liked the idea of using the darker ink for the sentiment. I think it draws the eye down, while also causing the lighter color to pop.


Supplies:
Paper: Recollections (white cardblank)
Stamps: Stampendous (Everything Happy set); Stampin Up (star); Rubber Stampede (Star Trio)
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Peeled Paint, Worn Lipstick)
ETC: ScorBuddy; American Crafts (Pigment Pro pen)


This past week was crazy! I spent time on Friday helping my local scrapbook store set up for a stamp convention, then spent most of Saturday shopping there! The vendors were fewer in number compared to the previous year, but I still managed to find some fun stuff!! Just doing my part to help the economy! ;-)


Thanks for stopping in today!

~Cynthia

Birthday Cake

Birthday Cake, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

Wow! It feels good to be back here sharing my creations!

**As always, excuse the horrid picture....we haven't had sun in a week!**

Between the crazy plumbers and...well...LIFE...I haven't had much time to create. But my dad's birthday was yesterday and I was forced to find a bit of mojo to get a card done. Turns out this is a great way to get the creative juices flowing. I managed to make 2 birthday cards and 3 Christmas cards!

YAY!

Here's the first one. I took a nod from Susan Raihala over on her Simplicity blog. Super simple card.

I stamped the border. Then stamped the cake piece, colored it using watercolors, then cut it out. Lots of glitter pen usage too. :-)



Supplies:
Paper: Recollections (white cardblank)
Stamps: Fiskars (How Many Candles set); Stampology (Celebrate set)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Fried Brick)
ETC: Glue Dots; Spica (Glitter pen)


And that's it for me! Thank y'all so much for all the kind words on my scrapbook pages lately!! Paper crafters are a very encouraging bunch!!!! =D


~Cynthia

Still Here...mojoless

Still Here...mojoless, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

Oh boy. It has taken me roughly ONE WEEK to get this page done. This is a layout from Shimelle...from what seems like ages ago.

It's a little chaotic at my house right now. The plumbers were here yesterday to replace all the faucets. My gosh they are SLOW. And they blocked the way to the craft room. And they had to turn the water off too. That meant no crafting and six hours of a CSI marathon.

And they're not done yet.

And they're two hours late today.

Which means no crafting today either.

I totally think I should deduct Negative Craft Room Time from their bill!! LOL!!


So here's my page. Shimelle's challenge was black and red, with lots of layers. I chose the paper first, then added the photo. I'm not real happy with any of it, but I had to find the end somewhere.

I distressed lots of stuff, which always makes me happy, so the page isn't a total loss. Also, I made the script faux-washi tape with ink and artist's tape. That's always fun too.

And I love ledger paper. LOVE. IT. So I distressed a piece of that also.

The photo is from Fort Polaski, Georgia. This is the interior of the fort--the outer walls, where they swing the cannons around to shoot out of the windows. Those are the track lines on the floor where the cannons travel. It's a very cool place, very well restored.


Supplies:
Paper: Jenni Bowlin (Clover Vine and Red Olives); My Mind's Eye (Meadowlark collection); stash (ledger paper); Bazzill (tan cardstock)
Stamp: Stampendous (script stamp)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Vintage Photo); Stazon (Jet Black); Archival Ink (Coffee)
ETC: Queen &Co Pearls (Nightfall); Staedtler (Artist's Tape); Recollections (Alphabet set); Paper Shapers (Retro Flower punch); The Paper Studio (brad); The Sewing Place (seam binding)


So I just found out the plumbers aren't coming today after all. Apparently, I'm not enough of a priority for them. Grrrrrr. At least I have running water. Just trying to be grateful for the little things, ya know? ;-)


~Cynthia

Old Sheldon Ruins

Old Sheldon Ruins, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

This layout is based on a challenge on the My Mind's Eye blog. Part of the challenge was to use 80% MME product on the page.

Sooooo....I have about 10%. And that's why I'm not entering the challenge.

But it was fun playing along. I so think that should count for something. RIGHT????? ;-)

The picture is from Old Sheldon Church, located near Beaufort, SC. I absolutely love the ruins of the church! The original name was Prince William's Parish Church and construction was begun in 1745.

Many people have their bridal pictures taken here and even get married here. It's really quite an amazing place.


Supplies:
Paper: Bazzill (brown and teal cardstock); My Mind's Eye (Penny Lane--Free Bird "Passion" Robin's Eggs Paper); K&Co (Par Avion border strip)
ETC: K&Co (Tim Coffey--Cottage Garden Warm die-cuts); Making Memories (Shimmer Alpha--Black); Zig Two-way Glue Stick; Glue Glider Pro


And no, I didn't spritz the page. It's so late in the afternoon here that I got shadows on the page. It does look kind of cool though...


~Cynthia ;-)

Birthday Grid

Birthday Grid, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

Today's offering is a birthday card a la Susan Raihala--from her Simplicity blog. She's been posting the cutest Halloween cards this week. I took her idea of a grid design and made it into a birthday card.

I punched out the three squares and stamped the images. I made them all off center on purpose. I think it's kind of quirky that way. ;-)

I also sprayed the background with some Color Wash before I added the squares.

I'm not sure it's clear, but I added glitter to the candle flames.

I made a matching card for my niece, without the Color Wash. I liked the crispness of that one, but this one is rather funky. =D


Supplies:
Paper: Bazzill (all cardstock); Recollections (white cardblank)
Stamps: Hero Arts (Birthday Messages set); assorted $1 stamps, un-named
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Dusty Grape, Black Soot); Ranger Adirondack Color Wash (Purple Twilight)
ETC: Marvy-Uchida (1-inch square punch); Sakura Gel Pen; Glue Glider Pro


Finally we had some relief from the heat today. The cool temperatures made it hard to stay inside and create! =D

Thanks for stopping by today and thanks for all your nice comments!!

~Cynthia

Windmill Wonders

Windmill Wonders, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

OK, I gotta start with this: I AM A DITZ.

See...THIS page is for Shimelle's Sketch of the Week. Yesterday's page was for Shimelle's Starting Points challenge. (Oddly enough, I actually got the right page linked up to the right blog entry on her site!)

*sigh*

And I do so try hard.

Anywho...on to the REAL Sketch Challenge.

I lerve this paper. Big time. It totally looks like it would have some texture, even in real person, but it's totally smooth!

Then I layered a bunch o' stuff on it, including the Color Wash spray border thing. I think it needs more stuff and I might add things later, but I came to a Stopping Point. You know? When you are DONE because nothing else is popping into your head?? Yeah, I was there. :-)

I took the picture years ago in a small town in South Carolina. A friend of mine moved there and I mentioned wanting to get some black and white or sepia shots of a windmill and my friend said there was one not far from his new house! So I totally trespassed and got some great shots, most of which are hanging on my walls. :-)


Supplies:
Paper: Creative Imaginations (John Deere barn siding); Graphic 45 (Botanicabella Collection--Summer Sonata); Stampin Up (newsprint collection)
Ink: Ranger (Adirondack Color Wash--Espresso); Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Tea Dye, Vintage Photo); Ranger (Adirondack Paint Dabber--Espresso); Tim Holtz (Silver Additive alcohol ink)
ETC: Cuttlebug (Scribble Flower die cut); Sizzix Nestabilities (Label); Cathe Holden (freebie downloads--report card, vintage cheese label); Tim Holtz (Grungeboard label); MFT Stamps (Die-namics border die cut)



Happy Tuesday!! Wait...it IS Tuesday, right?? I'm such a ditz.........


~Cynthia

Saturday Sketch...on Monday

Saturday Sketch...on Monday, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

This page is for Shimelle's Saturday Sketch. She gave us an idea (use scraps), but didn't show us her finished page so we could create without preconceived notions. I gathered all the snippets (as Jules would say) and laid them out Saturday so I could finish it this morning. But first I HAD to take a sneak peak at Shimelle's finished layout. ;-)

And mine looked nothing like hers. Heh.

So I subtracted a bit of paper, added a few more details and came up with this one.

I rather like how it all turned out. It's not as embellished as Shimelle's, but I'm more of a clean and simple crafter anyway, so I'm OK with that.

The photo was taken at Harbison State Forest in South Carolina.


Supplies:
Paper: Graphic 45 (Botanicabella Colletction: Ode to a Butterfly, Summer Sonata, Botanicabella Tags); BoBunny (Decaf Dot); Bazzill (brown cardstock); K&Co (Handmade ephemera collection); Stampin Up (newsprint collection)
Ink: Ranger (Adirondack Espresso Color Wash); Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Brushed Corduroy)
ETC: Pretty Little Studio (train ticket); The Sewing Place (seam binding); Making Memories (Alpha Charms); Cuttlebug (Harmony die cut alpha)
Adhesives: Glue Glider Pro; Scotch Quick-Dry Adhesive; Glue Dots; Zig Two-way Glue Stick


Happy Labor Day to all my American friends! Be safe! We're dealing with the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee this week, so no nice sunny photos. =D But we're grateful for the RAIN!!! YAY!


~Cynthia

Lawson's Fork

Lawson's Fork, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

OK, my usual apology first. For some odd reason, the colors on this page got totally washed out. What's up with THAT?? Just trust me when I say the colors are really a lot deeper and richer than what they appear here.

And now...on to the page.

So this layout is for a Pretty Little Studio sketch challenge. Except all of my Pretty Little Studio products are currently residing in my December Daily album, which is currently awaiting December. I played along anyway but I won't be posting it on their blog.

The photo was taken in (I think) 1992. I hike this area a lot and my journaling talks about how the creek has changed over the years.

I got the idea for the funky flower on the top left from the Fancy Pants blog. Punch or die cut some circles, snip some petals and layer. Easy and quite cool.

Speaking of cool....we had a high temperature of 98 degrees here today. And that's why I spent most of it chilling in my craft studio. I finished up my Year in the Life for August. Yay!



Supplies:
Paper: Kaiser Craft (Victorian Rose); BoBunny (Decaf Dot); We R Memory Keepers (72 & Sunny, Flower Patch); Bazzill (brown cardstock)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Vintage Photo); Ranger (Adirondack Color Wash in Espresso--for the splots)
ETC:Cuttlebug (Harmony die cut alpha set); Marvy Uchida (circle punches); Studio 112 (flower embellishments); Melody Ross (chip punch); chipboard pennants (stash); Zig Two-way Glue Stick; Glue Dots; Glue Glider Pro



Happy Friday, everyone! And have a safe Labor Day weekend!

~Cynthia

Catching Up

Catching Up, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

Gracious! I can't believe I haven't posted in so long...nor have I had the time to create! But things have started to settle down here, so I'm trying to get my mojo in gear again. :-)

So here's a start!

This is for a My Mind's Eye challenge, which I think I totally missed. Oops.

Anyway. Super clean and simple layout, which I like! A few layers and a few embellishments. I think I was supposed to have bits of chipboard, but I um...skipped that part. Heh. ;-)

The photo is from 2007, when I spent a few days camping at Hunting Island State Park--my most favorite place to camp in South Carolina. There is an area I call the Sculpture Garden simply because all the trees that have fallen into the water look like sculptures. Such a beautiful place!


Supplies:
Paper: American Crafts (Hello Sunshine, Bliss); BoBunny (Decaf Dot); The Paper Studio (script paper); Fancy Pants (Like Father Like Son--Stud Muffin); dress pattern (for flower)
Stamp: Stampendous (Encouraging Words set--Strength)
Ink: Tim Holtz (Distress Ink--Black Soot); Spritz Spray (Log Cabin)
ETC: Tim Holtz (Sizzix--Tattered Floral); The Paper Studio (brads); Cuttlebug (Leaves die cut); K&Co (Par Avion border); freebies (unknown source--round calendar); faux-phemera (ticket)
ALSO: I made the little Strength tag based on someone else's tutorial, but I can no longer find the post. Sorry.

ETA: I finally found the tutorial for the little Strength tag! It's by Shelly Hickox on Stamptramp, posted on Aug 4, 2011. Sorry, Shelly, and thank you for a great tutorial!! (ShellyHickox dot blogspot dot com) She calls it Faux Crazed Porcelain. Super easy and fun--with great results!



And that's it for me! I hope to have way more time in the studio this weekend--YAY. I've enjoyed visiting everyone's blogs though. That's always so inspiring!


~Cynthia