More Photos of Our Little Peanut

I know, I can't help it. I love looking at the photos of our little grandson, and I thought I would share just a few more photos of him before I start posting my card creations.

 Henry with Pop Pop

 Henry with my dad, Great Poppy

 Henry looking cute with my sister, his great aunt Linda

 Henry, the thinker - oh so cute!

Henry loves Ernie

Henry had a wonderful conversation with Ernie that day, but unfortunately, I can't get the video to post. 

Love this little person .... he's certainly the apple of my eye.

Have a wonderful labor day weekend.

Hugs

Helen

I'm Back!

Hi Everyone! You're probably wondering what ever happened to me since May...yes, May! Well, I've been very busy and the most exciting of all is the birth of our grandson, Henry August. He was born May 21, and he is such a bundle of joy. Needless to say, he has brought so much joy into our lives. Everyone that has experienced grand-parent-hood has told me there's nothing like it and you will love it. I just couldn't imagine what they meant until I got there. Yep, they were right! Although I don't get to see him as often as I like, since my daughter, her husband, and little Henry live in Brooklyn, I get to se the videos and countless photos that they share with us. But when I'm with him, oh boy ... love is in the air!

Here's some pictures of our precious little peanut...

Grammy and Henry

Daddy Reading to Henry

I'll have some more pictures later. Having a dickens of a time getting them to stay put on my page. (that's what happens when you haven't blogged in a while.  LOL.

I'll also have some card creations for you as well. I've been making cards for my co-workers' birthdays, so I'll have a lot to share.

Enjoy your holiday weekend. 

Coloring Down the Lines - Happy Birthday Tool Box

Hi everyone. It's been a while since I've posted, and a lot has been going on. I still have a lot going on so I'm hoping that mid June, I should be back on a regular basis. Fingers crossed.

Today's blog hop is to make a masculine project. Although I don't make a ton of masculine cards, I do tend to make a few.

I decided to make a tool box for my project. Here's what I came up with:

I hope you like it. It looks a bit real, doesn't it?

You may have arrived here from Robbie's blog, and if you have not, be sure to take a hop back one to where it all begins. Then, hop on over to Joni's blog and check out her masculine project. How fun are they all?

Thanks for stopping by, and I'll keep you updated as to what's been happening in my world. It's good stuff.

Best,
Helen

Coloring Down the Lines - Woodgrain Daisy

Happy Hump Day, everyone. I can't believe how fast the weeks are flying by. It's almost mid-May already. Where is Spring going so fast? I hope it decides to stay a bit longer.

This week, our challenge was to make a card using an embossing folder that is retiring that we will miss. Well, one of my favorites is "woodgrain". That embossing folder is so versatile and can be used for so many things.

I decided to make something simple for my post today. Sometimes simple is so much nicer.

Here is my card ...

Recipe
Cardstock: whisper white, berry blast

Ink: berry blast, pear pizzazz

Stamp Set: daisy delight

Accessories: woodgrain EF, gold faceted gems, enamel glitter dots

I'm loving the enamel glitter dots. They are so pretty in person and make such a statement on any card. If you don't have them, make sure you order them. They're a new item in the upcoming 2017/18 new catalog. 

Since Amanda couldn't join us this week, I'm linking to Robbie, where our blog starts. Robbie is our chief design master that comes up with all the great ideas. Now, we do offer suggestions as well, and we're all a great team, riddled with a lot of inspiration.

Now, don't forgot, Joni is up next. Check her post out and keep on going round until you come back to me. I'm sure you'll be inspired by what you see.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

Coloring Down the Lines - Retiring Swirly Bird

There are some items that I just wish were not going to be retired, and Swirly Bird is one of them. This stamp set and bundle is so nice, and it can be used in so many different ways. I especially love it because it's whimsical, and it can be used as a formal card, or something just fun.

I made this card for you today with a little of both. It's simple, but sweet. How many ways do you think you could use it?

So sad to say goodbye ... (sniff sniff)

Did you happen to arrive here from Amanda's blog? If not, make sure you either hop on forward through until you get to her, or hop one back and check out what she made for you. Joni is up next, so have fun checking out her favorite retiring product. 

Thanks again for always supporting us. I hope to have more postings for you soon ... been very busy with one of my doggies who was diagnosed with some heart issues, and several funerals I've had over the past two weeks. It's been very sad times of late, and I sure do hope I see a nice ray of sunshine soon. Keep my doggie in your prayers. I love him so much!!!

Coloring Down the Lines - Retiring Products

Good Wednesday to you. Thanks for gracing us once again by checking out our blog this week.

Do you have a favorite product that is retiring in the Stampin' Up line? Well, I have quite a few of them, but I only could choose one. I decided to select one that I hadn't used yet so that I could make something before it retires at the end of May. Unfortunately, I didn't get to make Easter cards this year - time got away from me, and I was so busy, I didn't have time to much of anything. (sad face)

This stamp set bundle can be used for more than just Easter, so I decided to make something fun.

Let's start with our inspirational photograph first, ok? Here it is:

Ok, so just the pretty paper alone shown in the photograph is enough to make you sad to see it go, right? I selected the basket bunch bundle as my "sad to see it go" stamp set, and this is my card I made for you.

I love the daffodils and the basket - they are so cute. I can come up with quite a few ideas for this set, and I'll be sure to share them with you.

Now it's time to check out what the others have made with their favorite retiring products. Joni is next up, and previously, Amanda created something for you as well. Don't forget to make the rounds and check us all out.

Thanks for stopping by again this week.

Coloring Down the Lines - Favorite Bundle Project

Happy Wednesday and welcome back to our weekly blog hop. This week, we were to make a project using our favorite bundle. Well, it's hard to select just one because I have many, so I decided on one to share with you today.

I chose the Succulents bundle to share with you today. I just can't get over how realistic they look, so here is my project:

I had some clay pots and decided to purchase some foam and moss and fill the pots as a base for my succulents. They turned out very realistic and were easy to make. I hope you like them as much as I do.

Don't forget to hop on through to Joni's blog next, and if you started here, don't forget to hop one back and check out what Amanda created as her fav. Lots of fun!!!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your comments with us. We appreciate you!

Coloring Down the Lines - Retiring In Colors

Happy Wednesday. It's blog hop time again, and this week, we were to create something using the upcoming retiring "in colors". I'm always sad to see colors go, especially if I really like them. This particular group of in colors I was very fond of. I love tip top taupe and mint macaron. Oh how I will miss them so much.

I wanted to make a card for my posting, so I decided to use the Thankful Life hostess stamp set. I thought this would be a nice stamp set that would use all the colors I wanted, and so it worked very nicely.

Here's the inspirational photograph:

This is the card I've created for you this week:

If you've arrived here from Amanda's blog, next up is Joni. She's just a hop forward, so don't forget to continue on until you come back to me.

Thanks again for checking us out.

Hugs,
Helen

Coloring Down the Lines - My Favorite SAB

I love Sale-a-Bration time. You get some really nice "free" items every time you spend $50. Needless to say, it's easy to rack up the free items, and who doesn't love free?

I had a difficult time trying to select my favorite SAB item, as there are quite a few items that I love. So which one do I want to see make it into the annual catalog? Well, yes, many, if not all of them, but I had to pick one. Actually, I used two SAB products in my project. I couldn't help myself.

Here's my project I made for you:

The products I used were the popcorn box thinlit, mint macaron glimmer paper (SAB), make a medallion (SAB) stamp set, and sweet sugarplum rouched ribbon. I stamped the medallion in sweet sugarplum, and the sentiment is stamped using emerald envy. Now, all I have to do is fill it with treats!

I hope you like my project, now don't forget to hop forward to see what Ms. Joni made and what she chose as her fav product. If you started here, hop back one to the beginning, and check out Robbie's project. I hope you had the opportunity to get some SAB products of your own and gathered inspiration from what we brought you today.

Thanks for stopping by!

Coloring Down the Lines - CASING Our Blog Hoppers

Good Wednesday to you. This week, we had a really neat challenge to CASE a card from the person who follows me in our blog. That would be Joni! I knew right away which card I was going to CASE of hers.

Here is the card I CASED:

This stamp set, Hey Chick, is a Sale-a-Bration item. At first, I wasn't too keen on the stamp set, but then I saw all these cards using it, and I had to have it. It's too cute! This card is one I love, and thanks to Joni for creating it so I can CASE it!!!

Well, let's see what Joni created from the person who follows her. And in case you haven't reached Amanda's blog yet, don't forget to check out which card she CASED of mine. I love it!!!! Hope you find this as fun we we did.

Have a super day!

Coloring Down the Lines - From Scraps to Beauty

Happy Wednesday! Guess what? Yesterday we had a big snow storm here in Pennsylvania, and throughout the Northeast. Ok, so we only got about 7" where I live, and North of us got waaaayyyyy more than that. I thought Spring was right around the corner? Winter must have elbowed its way in and said "not so fast, Spring, I'm not ready to leave yet". Well Winter, as pretty as you can be, we're ready for you to sleep until next year. We're thinking Spring, not matter what you do.

Anyway, I was in Spring thinking mode when I made this card for you this week. One of Stampin' Up's In Colors that I love is Sweet Sugarplum. Of course, that reminds me of Spring and all things pretty. Our challenge was to use scrap material to make our cards. That wasn't too difficult for me since I save all my scraps and all I did was pull some out and whipped up this card in no time.

Here's the card I made for you .. and I must say, I rather like it a lot. I think I may make some more in other colors.

I used the Sale-a-Bration stamp set, Delicate Details on this card, and the shadowing from the photograph makes it look like lace. Kind of cool, huh? I also used Timeless Textures for dotting around the label, and the sentiment was from Beautiful You stamp set. A little bit of silver foil, sugarplum ribbon, little bit o' rhinestones, and a scrap of embossed paper from an old retired embossing folder (which I forget the name of at the moment), and whola!

Now you're wondering what you can do with your leftover scraps? Why not check out Amanda's creation at Our Crafty Playdate, which is a hop ahead of me, and then skip on forward to Lizzy Stamps and see what she made. Go ahead and check them out.

Well, thank you for stopping by and keeping us going. We love you!

Coloring Down the Lines - Beautiful You CASE from Pinterest

This week, our challenge is to find a creation from Pinterest and CASE it. If you're wondering what CASE means, it's Copy And Share Everything.

Pinterest is full of ideas and inspiration, and it's one of my favorite places to visit for my inspiration. There are so many talented creators, and I can never get enough viewing them all.

This week, I chose to CASE a card that was created by Crafty with Cathy by Cathy Haynes. The moment I saw this card, I knew I would CASE it one day. To this challenge was the perfect time for me to do it. Now, Cathy's card is a 5x7, however, I shortened mine a little to a 4x6. The design wouldn't fit on a 5-1/2 x 4-1/4, so this worked out just perfectly.

The stamp set Cathy used as Beautiful You. I really like this stamp set more than I thought I would. There's a lot you can do with it and I'm going to try some more ideas using it soon. Let's check out Cathy's card:

Next up is Lizzy's blog. I can't wait to see what she CASED from Pinterest. And if you've missed Amanda's blog, don't forget to hop one back to check her card out. What a fun week.

Thanks for stopping by.

Another Birthday Card for Tj

As you saw in yesterday's post, I made that cute tool chest card for Tj for his birthday. His fiancé, Ashley, also commissioned me to make a card for him too, and I came up with a very cute card, if I must say so myself.

Check it out ...

I wanted to make the balloons pop, so I chose to use the copper foil, gold glimmer paper, as well as the silver glimmer paper, and it made the card look almost elegant like. I mounted the card on silver glimmer paper and a black card base, and Whola!

Tj and Ashley decided to go to Ocean City, Maryland for his birthday and enjoy the beautiful weather that weekend. What a nice surprise. Typically, it snows on Tj's birthday, every year. This time ... 70 degrees. Who knew? Here they are in a cute horse-drawn carriage. 

I'm so glad they had a great time.

See you soon.

Tj's Birthday Card

February 18 was our son, Tj's birthday. I usually never have a hard time making cards or coming up with a great idea for one, but somehow, masculine cards are not as easy for me. I guess I love all the pretties and glitz, and I wouldn't make those for cards for males.

Well, since our son and my husband are in the construction industry, why not make something that fits well with that. Yes, that's what I chose to do. I like the way the card turned out, and of course, like always, the cards always look better in person.

I'm loving the tool set .. it's so cute and fitting for the card for our son. I  used a contraband embossing folder to create the diamond cut for the drawers on the tool chest and it looks so real. Cute, Cute, Cute.

Hope you like it as much as I do.

See you soon ...

Coloring Down the Lines - Avant-Garden

Happy March 1! Today, is the first day of the Lent, and we're on our way to Spring.

This week, we had our choice of challenges: either a sketch challenge or a color challenge. I chose the color challenge.

The colors above are what I chose to use. I wanted to use a stamp set I had never used before. Stampin' Up's Sale-a-Bration is going on now, and I got the Avant-Garden stamp set as one of my free stamp sets, and guess what, I'm so glad I did. I love this beautiful stamp set. There's a lot you can do with it.

Below is the card I made for you today. It's a simple card, but makes a beautiful statement.

I added a little bit of silver to the card, and used silver foil as a frame on the night of navy card base. Although the picture doesn't show the pearls in the center of the flowers, they are pretty in person.

Now, let's take a look at what everyone else chose for their challenge this week. Hop back one and check out Amanda's blog, and then hop one ahead to Lizzy's blog and see what she made for you.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to follow us. We love you and appreciate you. Thank you!

Coloring Down the Lines - Celebrating a Mediterranean Moment

Welcome back again to our Wednesday Coloring Down the Lines Blog Hop. Every week, we try and come up with new and fun ideas for you so you can find your creative energy. I know it sure does that for all of us.

This week, we were to come up with a favorite technique. Well, I have done quite a few techniques, but I find that I don't always do a whole lot of them, only ones that I fall in love with. Since Stampin' Up came out with their new watercolor pencils, I gravitated to them, trying to learn how to use them and make some beautiful cards. I chose to use them for this entry for you this week, and I hope you like it.

I chose the stamp set, Mediterranean Moments. I love that stamp set and you can certainly do a lot with it, especially with water color pencils. Let me know what you think ...

The sentiment I embossed on the bottom is in silver and came from Balloon Adventures stamp set. I didn't want to use a color like white or attach a banner ... but the touch of silver made the card come together.

I'm always excited to see what technique everyone else came up with, so if you started here, moving ahead is Joni from Joniinthespotlightstamping, and one back is ourcraftyplaydate. Make sure you check them out!

Thanks for stopping in to see us, and stay tuned. You never know what we'll come up with next.

Best,
Helen

Coloring Down The Lines - Delicate Details

Did you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day yesterday? What a day for love, lace, and whatever you want to make it.

This week's challenge is using something from Stampin' Up's Sale-a-Bration. What fun is that? I knew right away which stamp set I wanted to use, but wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it. So I sat down and figured out which color I wanted to use, and from there, it was cake.

Well, here's what I've created for you using the Delicate Details stamp set:

All I did was add a silver foil doily and a flower embellishment, and there you have it.

How did you like what everyone else made this week? If you haven't checked out Amanda's creation, please take a quick hop back and check her out. Of course, Joni follows me, so whether you go back or forward, keep on going until you get back to me. That way, you won't miss anyone's fine art work!

Thanks for always stopping by and checking us out. We appreciate you taking the time to visit.

Thursday Focus: Product Spotlight - Balloon Adventures

This week, we are continuing to feature "Balloon Adventures" in our product spotlight. This stamp set is so versatile and you can come up with many ideas using it. Everyone loves balloons, or celebratory cards. I know I do. They make you happy. I decided to make a card that is simple, yet fun.

Here is what I've chosen to make for our Thursday Focus Project:

I see that the bow doesn't show up very well in the photos, but I used the dazzling diamonds glimmer paper for the bow. It looks so cute in person.

Now, you must make sure you pop on over to Jenilee's blog to see what she created using the Balloon Adventures stamp set. And if you've arrived at my blog first, please don't forget to take a hop back to Robbie's blog. Everyone created something for you, and we hope you enjoy them all.

Thanks for taking the time to visit us.

Coloring Down the Lines - Occasions Catty

Hello everyone! Happy Wednesday. Today, we are creating something for you from the new Occasions Catalog. There are so many cute stamp sets in the catty, and it was just hard to choose from what I wanted to use.

Keeping with the birthday theme I've been whipping up lately, I thought I would create another birthday card to share with you from the catty. It's from the cool treats stamp set ... and it reminds me of summertime and warm, wonderful breezes - sitting on a step or picnic table, eating these yummy treats.

So this is the card I made for you today ...

I used whisper white card stock, along with sugarplum and soft suede. I also used the cute tasty treats specialty designer series paper for some added interest. Of course, the enamel dots topped the card off for a real cute look.

Next up is Joni's blog. Be sure not to miss it, and if you started here at my blog, don't forget to hop on back one to see what Amanda created for you too.

Hope you have fun checking us out each week, and please continue to leave your comments. We love hearing from you.

Have a wonderful reset of your week - let's dream of summer .. maybe it will come sooner than we think.

Thursday Focus - Product Spotlight: Balloon Adventures

Welcome to Thursday Focus, Product Spotlight. This week, we are featuring the stamp set and/or framelits bundle, Balloon Adventures. Everyone can use some balloons, whether it's a birthday celebration, graduation, baby, retirement, or some other celebratory event.

There are different ways you can use this stamp set, and if you just want to use the framelits, it makes for either a nice pop-out center for your card, or a fun card front, whichever you choose.

Well, this is what I chose to do with the framelits for you this week:

I used silver, gold, and red foil for the balloons, as well as gold foil for the cute bow that ties them altogether. Nice way to celebrate, wouldn't you say?

You may have arrived here from Robbie's blog, and if you haven't, don't forget to hop back one to check it out. Moving along, Jenilee is up next. We're so excited to have Jenilee join us this week.

Have fun viewing all the submissions this week, and stay tuned for next week, when we will have another design for this bundle for you.

Let's Celebrate!!!

Coloring Down the Lines - Sweet Valentine's Day Box

Hi Everyone. I couldn't wait to share my project with you this week. I love boxes, and I saw a youtube video of a sweet box, and so I decided to make a Valentine's Day box that holds little candy hearts. It actually turned out better than I expected, and would you believe, I got orders for it already just by showing it to some people. Oh la la!

I'm sure you will be wowed by everyone's submission this week. I'm excited to see them, and perhaps you will get a little inspiration.

If you've arrived here from Amanda's blog, then you know that after me, it's Joni! Don't forget to hop all the way round ... FUN!

Here's my project ...

Isn't the box so cute? It measures 1-3/4 x 1-3/4, and yes, it holds all three of those Valentine heart candies. If you look closely, I stamped "Love" using real red, and I used the real red glimmer embossing powder for the heart, and gold embossing powder for the stars. The stamp set I used was "Love Sparkles".

Hope you liked my project, and don't forget to check out the rest of the talented ladies' entries. You won't be disappointed.

Ciao for now!

Thursday Focus (Product Spotlight) - Sending Love

Hello and Happy Thursday. Today, we are featuring the "Sending Love" designer series paper stack from Stampin' Up. Of course, this paper stack fits great into the Valentine's theme.

I typically try and use other colors than red and white for Valentines, so for this this post, it took a bit of thinking to decide on what I wanted my card to look like. Once I figured out which paper I wanted to use, the card came together like a snap. I was happy about that.

Here's my card that I made for you:

If you've started here at my entry, don't forget to hop on back to Joni, who started us out today on our journey. Amanda is right before me, and Robbie is second. Please check them all out - you won't be disappointed.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and visit. Stay tuned for more fun!

Coloring Down the Lines - Birdcage Love

This week, we were challenged again to make a Valentine's Card, but this time, not using any hearts on the card. I thought this was going to be hard, but actually, it wasn't. I came up with the idea after fumbling through my stamp sets, and all of a sudden, once I saw the stamp set I wanted to use, it all came together quickly.

Here's what I've created for you this week:

Recipe

Cardstock:  dapper denim, very vanilla, gold foil

Ink:  gold embossing powder, black embossing powder, dapper denim, soft suede, mint macaron, marina mist

Stamp Sets:  builder bird cage, timeless textures, sealed with love

Accessories/Embellishments: jute twine, MS branch punch

I know, I know, I typically don't use another product other than Stampin' Up, but I had already cut these out for a card I made for Christmas, and this was a left over, and I thought it added just the right touch to the card, so I used it. I like the way it looks on the card.

If you've started here, you can either hop one back to Amanda's blog, or continue on to Joni's blog until you come back to me, and then you will have visited everyone's blog.

Again, I want to thank you for stopping by and feel free to leave your comments. I love hearing from you.

A Baby Shower Card for Janell

A co-worker, Janell, is having another baby, and I was commissioned to make the shower card. Of course, this is my thing. I love making cards for people. I know Janell is having another girl, so I raced to my stamp stash to find the new "Moon Baby" stamp set. It's so cute.

I had fun making this card ... and this is what I came up with:

I forgot to take a picture of the inside, but I cut out the cute little stuffed animals and put one on the right side of the card, and one on the left. Super cute!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by. I've been posting a little more this week .. and hopefully, I can keep up the momentum.

Cheers!

Sympathy for the loss of Janice's Husband

I've had my fill of sympathy cards this week. A very nice woman, who attends my library classes, lost her husband the end of last week. Another sad story. Her husband had just retired and within days, he was put on hospice. Two days after that, he passed away. I just can't even get my head around the fact that this happened. How doe people go on and get through something like that? I'm so very sad for Janice. She's a wonderful person and I enjoy her coming to my card classes at the library.

This is the card I made for her ... and with such sadness:

I hope the card isn't too sad for her ... I will hope and pray that she finds the strength to lean on her family and friends for support. I know I will be there for her.

With sadness I make this post.

Coloring Down the Lines - Gold and Silver Hearts

Hello everyone. Thanks for stopping back to visit.

Our blog hop for this week is to create a Valentine card or project using no red or pink in your creation at all. WOW, I thought that would be difficult, but actually, it was a breeze. I made this card in no time and it just came to me right away. Actually, I had a piece already cut out that I was going to use for another project and didn't, and that gave me the inspiration to create this card.

Perhaps you've arrived here from Amanda's blog - well, you can continue on to Joni's blog after mine, until you come full circle. I love Valentine cards .. and actually, sometimes not using red or pink can be just as pretty.

recipe

Cardstock:  very vanilla, basic black, gold foil, silver foil, dazzling diamonds glimmer paper

Ink:  gold embossing powder

Stamp Set:  sealed with love

Accessories/Embellishments:  cheerful tags framelit dies, heart punch, mini heart punch, metallic enamel shapes, gold satin ribbon

I knew I wanted to make an elegant Valentine card, and somehow, even though you typically don't associate black with Valentine's Day, this one fit the challenge perfectly.

Hope you enjoyed everyone's creation this week. Check us out next week, there's more Valentine fun.

Have a wonderful week.

Sympathy Card for the loss of Kelly's Mother

I just learned the other day that a friend of mine lost her mother right before Christmas. You can imagine how sad that made me, especially since I had no idea, and now it's been three weeks and I haven't spoken to her yet. I'm so sad.

I didn't know Kelly's mother. You see, I just met Kelly last year from a mutual friend. We became fast friends, and she really is a super woman.

So, I sat down to make her a sympathy card to let her know that I'm thinking of her and hoping that she is doing ok. This is the card I made for her. I actually CASED it from Nancy Novak at stampinshout.com. I typically don't CASE a lot of cards, or if I do, I always change it up but use the basic concept. This one I thought was pretty, and I only changed one thing on the card. Thank you Nancy for your beautiful inspiration.

It always makes me sad to make sympathy cards, but I know it's most necessary.

Until tomorrow, thank you for stopping by.