Colors On My Mind

I seem to gravitate toward blues and greens when I make cards.  I like to use decorated papers.  This card is very simple and delicate.  I like the frilly edge of the white trim and I like the contrast of the bright white against the pale blue and green.  It makes me think of a Martha Stewart bedroom!  I would love to sleep on sheets like this card!

Operation Write Home

I just sent off a batch of 10 cards to Operation Write Home.  Some were for Mother's Day and some were just "Thinking of You" cards.  So far, I've sent 28 cards to Operation Write Home.  Not a whole lot, but the number is growing.  I hope that the soldiers enjoy receiving my cards.  I like the idea that someone in a faraway place will benefit from them.

I wish that I got more cards!  Luckily, my birthday was on Monday so I got birthday cards in the mail.  But some of my friends and family didn't send cards and either called me or texted me.  While I enjoy getting phone calls and cards, the birthday text message just doesn't have the same long-lasting vibration attached to it.  It's a "quickie", which is better than nothing, but it's just a little blip.  A real card lasts and lasts.  For example, this morning as I rushed around getting ready to get out of the house to go to work, I noticed one of my birthday cards sitting on a table.  Immediately I was reminded of my cousin and I felt all warm and fuzzy.  I like to save the cards with really nice wording or pretty fronts.  I even have a stash of cards from 10 years ago.  The stash includeds cards from my grandmother and my aunt, who are both deceased now.  Yet, they remain in my memory when I see the card and look at their handwriting on it and read the special phrases that they wrote.  No text message can go that far for me.

So the soldiers who use my cards to write to their loved ones will really be sending mementos that their family can hold onto for years to come.  And I'm a part of that!

Memories of The Manchester Inn

                                                                                                                    

Last weekend this beautiful bed and breakfast in Ocean Grove, NJ burned down to the ground in a freak fire.  I never expected to feel the loss of a "place" but this inn represents many hours of creating art, relaxing and enjoying the peaceful ambience of Ocean Grove in practically every season, and the loss of it marks the end of an era of my personal growth.

The Beginning

I discovered handmade greeting cards about a year ago when I saw a book about making cards at the library.  One book opened a door to a whole new outlet for my creativity!  Since then I have discovered a multitude of books full of beautiful greeting cards, I started using rubber stamps to make my cards, and I have finally begun to make cards that reflect my own artistic voice.  I've been able to use some of the training that I've acquired as an artist to make uniquely artistic cards.  I'm so happy that I can work with a card and get a good end result now.  In the beginning there was so much to learn...paper cutting, stamping and embossing, even where to go for supplies.  (Ebay is my best friend!!)  I was frustrated because I was looking at cards that I wanted to make and I didn't have all of the materials or the right stamps.  It took a while for me to begin to be able to really use what I had access to.  Now I have some favorite supplies and techniques.  I love embossing cards and I love working with tags.  Tags are great because you can make a pretty tag in minutes.  So now I can access my art muse in seconds and make a tag!