Retiring Stamps from The Craft's Meow

Welcome to The Open Window

and

I wish you a

BELATED HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Today is the beginning of a great week

as I am hopping along with my friends over at

The uber-talented Jessica Fick is the designer

on the hop just before me, so hopefully you

came by way of her blog.

If not, get started over at

The Craft's Meow Blog

because there's a great prize to a lucky commenter!

For all the details, make sure to visit the store blog.

This month we are featuring

RETIRING SETS

These sets can be found by

 CLICKING HERE

and are an

ADDITIONAL 15% OFF

the SALE PRICE

Oh so cute and yummy!

This set is called 'One Scoop or Two'

and is a fun & fabby set to be sure!

This is one of my favorite sets called 'Travel Time'

Yep . . . It's retiring, so grab it now !!

The sale runs from January 7th - 12th

It's time to send you on your way to see my very

talented friend, Karen Baker

She is the next step on the hop.

Have a terrific day!

Just for You . . . Welcome to The Craft's Meow

It's Day Number Three of the New Release Previews at

Everyone loves the labels set and here is another one

created by our newest illustrator

Elizabeta Kushner

called 'Lovely Labels 14'

I chose the beautiful papers from 'Sweet Day' from Echo Park for this card.

I layed the 'wallpaper' then proceeded to layer

hand-dyed seam binding with a beatiful pale

orange rose.

The label was stamped on yellow gingham and embellished

with pearls.  I paper-pieced the small butterflies at the

bottom of the frame.

 The pearl flourishes are just the finishing touch.

Lots of textures and layers on one card.

Make sure you pop by

 The Craft's Meow Blog

and check out the fabulous-ness

from all of the designers.

TCM is giving away a new release set

each day, so make sure you leave a comment

on the blog for a chance to win!

Project Recipe:

Patterned Paper: Sweet Day by Echo Park
Stamps: Lovely Labels 14 by The Craft's Meow 

Embellishments: seam binding from The Ribbon Carousel
gem flourishes by Want2Scrap, pearls by A Muse Studio
rose by Recollections

Fun & Friendly...What's Your Take?

It's Wednesday and here at The Open Window that means a few different things, which I will get to later in the day. For now, it means my weekly DT offering using a set from Artful INKables.

This stamp is from the 'Fun & Friendly' set. When I pulled the stamp from the case (you get a nice clam shell case with all your AI stamps, just so you know), I started thinking about the words fun and friendly. Although the intention in my brain was to think of the definitions, I ended up thinking about all the times I have gotten together with fun and friendly people.

Believe it or not, I don't have any 'local' friends who are stampers. I have acquaintances and of course, I run into people from time to time who were customers of my store. So when I think of get-togethers with fun and friendly 'stampers', I think of you! I also know there are many of you that visit The Open Window faithfully who are not into paper arts. I count you in, too! As you have been kind enough to be a part of this journey with me,
I have come to learn about:

Creating felt pins adorned with beautiful beads
Digital Photography
The Royal Ballet
Weimaraners
Iris gardening
How great U2 are in concert
What it's like to travel to The Isle of Wight
and SO much more...

because you are fun and friendly folks!

So this very simple, but poignant card is for you.

Now...back to you stampers! This set from AI is terrific! It has 9 great stamps to choose from with a variety of creative verses. I also used another stamp from this set in an earlier post,
click here to see it. If you have been searching for something unique ('cause there's alot of the same 'ol, same 'ol out there), this set is for you. Head on over to the AI blog to see other ideas using these sets and while your there, add yourself to be a follower.
OH...did you get over to see Holly's challenge for AI? If not, make sure you do. It's absolutely wonderful, creative, colorful...well, you get the picture!

Back later with my Wednesday Night Favs and news from
inside The Open Window.

Better Late Than Never

For more great ideas using Martha's punches,
click here...here... 
and here...

 I am so excited about the new punches for the holidays by Martha Stewart that I am posting this after just finishing the project. My card uses the Punch Around the Page 'Loop' punches. I started with the corner loop, punched all four corners, then used the matching border and filled in the sides. Isn't it fun?! I am actually working on another square card that I hope to share with you tomorrow. I also used some Basic Grey papers, Martha Stewart Pink Topaz Rhinestones and the greeting is from Scrappy Cat (which by the way, all of the SC stamp sets are on clearance at Michael's right now for $2.49....half price!)

So guess who has jury duty tomorrow? I called ahead tonight to make sure that I still had to go....and I do. Believe me, I'm all about doing my civic duty, but when I could be at home playing with my stamps, well need I say more. The last time I was called up, my stamp store was in full operation and could not do without me, so I had to be excused. I have a completed project ready to share with you tomorrow night, just in case I have to spend the entire day at the court house.

I have been chatting back and forth with the new Design Team for Artful Inkables today and I can tell you that Kristen and the senior DT have some fabulous things for all of us to look forward to. Excitement is brewing over a new bi-weekly challenge that you will be able to participate in for 'free stuff' as well as our first blog hop that will feature the new releases from AI. The new sets should be in my mailbox any day and I am ready to go! So I hope you will stay tuned and I do look forward to you playing along with us!

One more thing....I had a terrific response to my hosting a color challenge here at The Open Window, so I am working on the details and hope to have that for you within the next couple of weeks.

Hope you had a great weekend....here's to a good first week of August! I will see you tomorrow.

In Case You Haven't Heard the News!

The news is certainly spreading quickly, so time for me to catch up with it....

I am pleased to announce that I have been asked to be a Design Team member for Artful Inkables. It's a fabulous opportunity to now be called an 'INKgirl' and work along side some very talented paper artists.
After I was contacted by Kristin and the gang, the entire team was welcomed and encouraged by the outgoing design team as well as the Senior DT members who will be staying on. I can tell you it's been a busy 24 hours since receiving the news.

I hope you will go on this fabulous adventure with me.
I think it's going to be a blast!
I have already planned out some great ways we can learn together and in the near future,
I will be announcing some 'play dates' for you to put on your calendar.

These are the other members of your INKgirl team:

Kristin Soboloski ( AI owner/designer )
Holly McMillin ( Senior DT )
Joy Stagg ( Senior DT )
Sherry Campbell
Crystal Irwin
Lisa Kind
Emily Niehaus
Jen Pahoulis
Jackie Rakoski
Deborah L. Young

Please visit their blogs often and I'll make it easy for you...their links will be on my sidebar!

And just let me say one more thing.....I thank YOU dear followers! One of the requirements to be on any DT is an active, thriving and fun blog and YOU make that happen here at
The Open Window each and every day. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and now....
LET THE FUN BEGIN!!!

A Few Other Thoughts...

If you read my post from Friday morning, this flower may look familiar. I had made it to use on another project, but decided to 'deconstruct' it, add to it and use if for this card instead. There are 5 layers of really pretty papers here. It seemed just the right focal point for this simple card.







I've been trying to think of a 'clever' title for our Wednesday night get-together where I share my NEW FAVORITE BLOGS for the week. So far, nothing is rolling off the tongue, so if you have any suggestions, I would certainly welcome them. In the meantime, let me just say that many of you have been busy forwarding some of your recommendations which has been quite fun for me. So I hope you will plan on stopping by here each Wednesday evening and you just might find a new favorite to add to your blog list.

A GENTLE REMINDER...

There are still openings for you to join in the fun for my first 'Open Window Tag Swap'. I have space for 5 more players for this swap. Click HERE for the details. We have players from Europe, Canada and of course, right here in the US. This should be a lot of fun and a fabulous way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Well my friends.....that's it for now! Hope you have had a great weekend. Mondays tend to be a bit slow on the blogs, like anything else on Mondays, I guess. I will have a message to share tomorrow so I hope you will have just a minute or two to swing by!

Creative Struggles...I Can't Be The Only One?!

I've been at this stamping 'thing' for many years. Let's put it this way, I've been at it long enough to know that I really don't need to ask the question.









But there are still times when I feel like I am the only one out there putting BLUE and GREEN together and coming up with PURPLE !

When was the last time that happened to you? What do YOU do when you are in need of serious 'SPARK' ?

Leave a comment and let me know. I think it could be an inspiration to us all!

In the meantime, I am still looking for people who want to 'play' in the gift tag swap. Scroll down to the post below for all the details. It's going to be a lot of fun. You never know if one of those tags will be the 'SPARK' to help keep your creative juices flowing!

Anyone Up for Some Fun? GIFT TAG SWAP!

Going through my gift tag collection, I got to thinking that I would really love to see what you can do with these little greetings, so I am proposing a swap...one where I would do all the work! There are a lot of 'swap' networks out there and maybe you already participate in one, but this will be pretty easy. Here's how it will work:

First, you will need to contact me to let me know that you want to 'play'. Just leave a comment below telling me that you want to play and I will get back in touch with you.
It would be a 3 for 3 swap.
Make 3 of the same style gift tag and send them directly to me. I will in turn, make sure that your tags get distributed to the other players, so when you receive your swap, you will get 2 different gift tags from other players and the 3rd will be from me. At the end of the swap, the collection of tags will be displayed on my blog.

For postage reasons, please stay within a maximum of 3" square in size, but feel free to create any shape and embellish however you would like.
Deadline for mailing to me will be Friday, August 14th and I will have yours mailed within 10 days.

Sound like fun? I said I would do all the work! Leave a comment below and let's go!

Big Things Come in...Well, You Know the Rest...

I am in the process of making a card for a graduation open house that I will be attending this afternoon and I got to thinking about all the times you and I have needed that 'little something' to include with a gift that really personalizes that it's from us...you know the dialogue in the middle of the baby shower...it goes something like this: "Oh, she always makes something handmade and we all wait to see what it's going to be!". No pressure there!?!

I think we get so used to working in standard greeting card scale, that we forget that we can pack the same 'Ooh...Aah...' punch if we think gift tags...with embellishments. I think the key is to embellish.

As we know with greeting cards, it's really easy to fold the cardstock (ok, I know some of you HAVE to score it first ), lay down a layer of backgrounds, use a brad or two for the 'flower centers', stamp the greeting and go. Why not do it with these miniature greetings. I guarantee, when you hand over a gift 'tag' that's just as embellished as the cards that people expect from you, it will go from being a miniature greeting to a miniature masterpiece!

I will be back later on with, what I think is a fun announcement. I hope you will stop back and be ready to participate. I only hope this post was enough to whet your appetite...hmmm...

One More Offering Before Bed...

This was a small square of the other background that I mentioned in my earlier post. Thought I would follow through one more time with the lavender theme, then will work on some new color inspiration challenges from some of my favorite sites. Once I get those completed, I will share them here with you and offer the links to those sites so you can participate, too!

And of course.....if you are in need of a very special card for a very special occasion, you will find this card in my etsy store. Have a great night!

My Purple Phase...

Just sending a quick note to you today as daylight is getting 'cloudy' and there are so many things to get done. Yes, I do have modern day electric lights, but...well, you know what I mean?!

I am definitely going through a purple phase with my creations lately. Not sure why, but it seems for the past couple of days I continually reach for some shade of the color and, although it may take 30 minutes or so, I find something to do with what is before me.

I stamped the pale green with a Heidi Grace floral background in a monochromatic green and yet another shade of lavender. I have another version of this handstamped background that I stamped in different colors (well, there is still a version of purple), so am hoping to complete that project a bit later today. The yellow daisy and leaves are also from Heidi Grace. As for the bird and greeting, those are Inkadinkado and The Paper Company.

Hope you enjoy and if you reeeallly like it, I do have this card for sale in my Etsy store. Have a great afternoon...evening for my European followers.

Away for the Day

Thought I would post a quick note to you tonight as I will be away from home for a better part of the day on Tuesday. My husband Paul has to go into the Chicago 'burbs' to talk with management regarding a major promotion, so I am going to tag along.

Actually, I will be spending my morning at the Archiver's Store using their workroom to catch up on some little projects. We do not have that store in our area, so I always like to stop when there is one on my travels. If you've never been to Archiver's, it's a paradise for stampers and scrapbookers. My favorite purchase is always Bazzill Basics cardstock and background papers, so when I get home late tomorrow afternoon, I will share with the class the treasures I find.

Before I forget....I opened my Etsy store today! YAY! So I hope you will click on the link at the left and take a look at the cards for sale. Many of them have been favorites on this blog, so now would be your opportunity to get one for yourself....and if you would, please let your friends know, too. I would soooo appreciate it!

Hope you have a great day....OH! The photo for today is just to inspire you to be creative. Those cards were produced over the course of time using a variety of techniques. Maybe today would be a good day to pick your favorite technique and run with it!

Paper Distressing - I LOVE IT!

Just wanted to share this last project of the night. Had some time on my own while my husband is selling books (he is a manager at our Barnes & Noble) and worked on a bunch of distressed paper flowers. The 'Bella Rose' papers are from Stampin' Up and believe they are now retired, which makes this even more special.

Hope you enjoy it!

Another Easy-Peasy Background and a few 'ponderings'

Here is another example of those easy backgrounds I talked about last time. This was created with just two little stamps in multiple colors, but it's really effective and very therapeutic!

Today was a nice day, although I did have a flat tire in the middle of all of it. What made it nice was two different conversations I had. One was with a total stranger and the other was with a lady I've gotten acquainted with at our post office. Let's start with her.

Darlene is a very nice lady who helps me get all my packages safely mailed across the world. She works at our main post office and is always kind enough to take time with each customer who steps up to her window. Over the course of time, I have learned that Darlene likes to stamp and make cards, so of course, I gave her an invitation to visit my blog. So if you're there Darlene, WELCOME! Trekking all the way to the post office with a crate full of packages on a hot summer day can get very monotonous, but when I am able to step up to Darlene's window, it really is a nice diversion to have something in common to chat about. So thank you for that, Darlene.

My second conversation was brief, all of about 10 minutes, which is the time it took a total stranger to retrieve the spare tire & jack from the trunk of my car, hike the car to the proper height, and change my tire....which to me, who has never changed a tire, seemed like record time. He saw me sitting on the side of the very busy road and took the time at the end of his work day, which I found out started very early, and helped me, a total stranger, too. My dear friend Sarah and my father-in-law reminded me that there are still guardian angels that walk among us. This stranger knew my son was on his way across town to help me out, but he insisted that I use his cell phone to call and cancel the trip. The kindness of strangers....it doesn't happen to me often, but when it does, I look to the sky and thank God for continuing to take care of me.

Making Your Own Background Paper

This is a fun way to create fabulous paper that looks like it came right off the store shelf.

Using chalk inks in a variety of colors and several different rubber stamps, I randomly stamped images on white cardstock.

It's a fun way to spend some time when maybe your creative juices aren't quite flowing. Believe me, once you have made 20 or 30 of these backgrounds, you'll be good to go!

Watercolor Moments

Today I am going to look at everything as if it were a painting in watercolors. Looking out of my open window. there are lovely cumulus clouds floating by, a beautiful sunshine that is warming us up to nearly 95 degrees. Just a lovely, lovely day.

I woke up this morning in a very creative place, so I hope to get many things accomplished in my studio. As soon as I do, I will share them with you.

Will any of it include actually using a watercolor method? I don't know, but I know that it might...and that's good enough for me! Enjoy your day and take a moment to post a comment below. How did you spend it? And did it include watercolors?

Sense of Time by Marilyn Heneghan

If you have been following my posts, you will know that over the weekend, I attended a Stampin' Up get-together at my friend Dr. Judy's house. One of the things I like about getting together for these types of mornings is that you can almost count on making new acquaintances...and of course, I did.

Marilyn was one of those people. Before she began her project with us, she passed around a few cards for us to look at and this one stopped us all in our tracks! So I asked her if she would mind if I shared it with all of you.

This project entitled 'Sense of Time' was of course created using a variety of stamps, papers and accents from SU. I absolutely love the color scheme and it is the perfect solution to some of those hard-to-think-of themes, such as graduation, retirement and masucline cards.

I've also mentioned to Marilyn that, from time to time, I would like to invite guests to host some tutorials for future projects, so look forward to more from her. She is also an altered book artist, so I look forward to her sharing with us soon. In the meantime, at the end of this post, you will see some of the products used for this card in the 'labels' list. If you would like more information, please let me know in the 'comments' section and I will be glad to put you in touch with her.

What's On Your Wish List?

So these are some of the treasures that Sarah sent me. I am so looking forward to creating some fun pieces to share with you. The only thing missing from the photo are a couple of magazines that I absolutely love. CraftStamper and Cards. Sarah knows how much I love to collect British magazines and of course, anything having to do with rubber stamping is a plus!

Sarah and I are working on our wish lists. There are things here in the U.S. that she would love to try and of course, the same holds true for me and the UK.

What's on your wish list? Isn't it exciting to purchase something that you've been waiting for! Then there's the ceremonial 'crossing off of the item from the actual list' That just makes room for the next thing, doesn't it?!

The comments section of this post is open, so please share....what's on your wish list.....

My Favorite Friend from England

You've read many times little bits about my friend Sarah. She created this lovely little fairy and sent it to me along with a fabulous collection of fun things to play with in my own artwork. I will post a photo of those things tomorrow.

I love Sarah. She and I met in, what at the time, seemed like a most unusual way. Now it's the way most of us meet new people...the internet. I'll try for the short version.

My store was hosting it's first paper arts retreat and I was searching the web for different ways to promote the event. I went on to a website that had a place for people to leave comments after their own visit. I read some of the posts, and there was one from a woman named Sarah from the UK.

Well...being married to someone from the UK, my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to email this total stranger, just to ask her where in England she was from. Low and behold, she was from the Manchester area, where my husband Paul is from. Over the next several weeks, we emailed and found out that we had so much in common, it felt like divine intervention, which we still believe to this day. After 'getting to know one another' for a year or so, she arranged to attend our 2nd annual retreat, and she was able to spend a week with me in my home. The last time I saw Sarah was nearly 3 years ago. We made a trip to Banbury to spend 3 weeks with Paul's mum(that's for you, sweetie) and we took the train up to Manchester to see Sarah and her family. I spent 3 great days at Sarah's 'manor'. I am hoping to have an opportunity to see her again in next February. So, Sarah and I have been friends for nearly 10 years....and the rest, as they say, is a fabulous history!

My life has become so enriched by our friendship. Today the internet plays such a huge role in people connecting. I mean look at this moment now....you are reading my blog and there's a good chance we haven't even met. I think that's one of the reasons Sarah and I both have blogs because it just makes sense....it's become a natural transition at this time of our lives.

Please visit her blog and leave a comment....and tell her hello for me! Sarahanderson1.blogspot.com

Go Out and Have Fun....Today!

I spent some time with a wonderful group of women today...saw some familiar faces and hopefully, made some new friends. That's what's great about the hobby of rubber stamping.

I made 2 cards at the 'Stampin' Up' get-together. The first card we made was quite fun to do. I love working with ribbon, so to add a quick little dimensional touch was nice.

The second card was an elegant tri-fold. Although it's not seen in it's entirety in this photo, it's very lovely.

Dr. Judy opened up her beautiful home for us today and with assistance of Marilyn, who by the way, I have asked to share some of her beautiful work on my blog, gave us some fun techniques to take home.

Dr. Judy and I go way back to the early days of my store and it's been so nice to reconnect with her. The sentiments on these cards say it all....Thanks Dr. Judy...I truly needed that!