THE WEDNESDAY EVENING POST FOR APRIL 20, 2011

Hey All!

It's always good to see you.  I have the best looking readers in all of Blogland!  I sure hope that you all made it through the stormy weather of the past week unscathed.  I thought about many of you in the states that were affected.  We've had quite a couple of nights with heavy wind and rain, but thankfully, no damage.

Well, last week's poll revealed that the most aggravating part of our card making is CROOKED CUTS.  I'm with the majority there.  You have all read my rants about paper cutters that don't cut straight.  Coming in at a close second was SMUDGES.  Again that would be my second biggest frustration.  Thanks for participating.  I've got a new question up, so let your opinion count!

Nothing over the top for tonight's post.  I've been scouring the internet for some new creative ideas and have been coming up dry.  But I did create 3 cards for this post so here they are:

My first is a card I made duplicates of for a couple of neighbors and my doctor's office for Easter:

This is the newest addition to my Happy Hoppers collection.  This sleeping bunny is just adorable.  Looks to me like he ate everything in the basket and now is sleeping it off.  I colored it with my colored pencils and oms, added the bow and done.  I really do think this is a perfect Easter image.  This image is called "Hoppy Dreams".

Here is another Easter card:

Do all of you have those neighbors who decorate their outdoors for Easter?  I was inspired by those folks that decorate their trees and shrubs with brightly colored plastic eggs.  I really do love the DIY Topiary Stamp set from Flourishes.  I've used it more than any other stamp set I have.  So, I thought an egg covered topiary tree would be perfect for an Easter card.  I created the little eggs in Microsoft Word and cut them out.  Made the little tiny bow with the Bow Easy (love that thing).  I kind of like how it turned out.

This last one represents something that I normally don't do, but I did make an exception for this card.  This is almost an identical copy of a card I saw  HERE.  

I changed several things, but they look so similar.  I changed colors a bit, stamp, ribbon color, sentiment. . .but all in all it is a case.  I loved the look of her card and it was one of those classics that can be used for so many things.  Thank you Wendybell for the inspiration for this card!

PIC OF THE WEEK

I took this photo yesterday, and it just made me think that it was the perfect depiction of Winter giving into Spring.  You have the trees in many different stages, the dead grasses from Winter's cold and the greening up all happening in one scene.

OK, that's it.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  To all of those who celebrate Easter, I wish you many Easter blessings.  Easter also happens to be my Gunther's Birthday.  So along with Easter dinner we will be having the traditional ice cream birthday cake for dessert to celebrate his day.

Hugs to all of you!

Best,

Curt O'Brien

"God, please help me be the person that my dogs think I am."

THE WEDNESDAY EVENING POST FOR MARCH 2, 2011

Hey All!


There you are. . .  It's really nice to have you back!  Is that a new hair cut?  New outfit?  Whatever it is, you look incredible!  So glad you are here because I have stuff to show you!

Wow, based on the response to last week's post, you all will probably find this one a tad boring.  I had the largest response EVER in the history of my blog last week.  I had over 1,000 page views,  67 comments, and 18 new subscribers!  I'm amazed and so grateful.  Thanks so much for all the great comments from you all!  

I have added SOMETHING DIFFERENT to tonight's post.  At the bottom of the post I have posted a special video that I made just for you all. . .so be sure to check it out if you are so inclined.  On with the projects!

First, I'd like to share a card I made for a special day in Texas.  My blogging friend Mark of Deadbeat Designs informed me on his blog that today is "Texas Independence Day".  So in honor of this, I created a card for Mark:

There is not a lick of stamping on this card.  The top border, the covered wagons, and the cacti are all cut out of some fun paper I found at Mike's (Michael's).  Even the sentiment is computer generated.  OK, I know it is considered cheating in the stamping world, but I don't have any southwestern themed stamps so a crafter has to do what a crafter has to do.  Hope your day was great Mark!  This card is on its way to you!

My next card was made as a thank you.  I know you all must think that I live in the most idealistic neighborhood, but we do have lots of nice people here.  I helped a neighbor who had fallen on the ice.  I took her to the emergency room, went back to take care of her dog, went back to sit with her at the hospital, took her to get her prescriptions filled and then brought her home.  When she was feeling better, she took me to dinner and gave me a local grocery store gift card to thank me.  So to thank her for thanking me (getting kind of sickening isn't it?) I made her this card:

It is a combo card and little gift.  Here is the inside:

The front image and the scrolly stuff was embossed on white card stock with gold ep.  Then I used distress inks to rub over it all and to edge it.  I just added a pocket to hold a couple of individual packets of flavored tea.  No special card size, just a regular A2 card.  It closes fairly flat and still fits nicely into a regular envelope.  The inside flap is where I wrote my thank you note.

The last card I have to show you is yet sadly, another sympathy card.  There is a little sweet elderly couple that lives a few houses down.  I just learned that her husband died yesterday.  I don't know them well, but I wanted her to know I was sorry for her loss.  Here is the card:

I know you have all done this before. . .See where I placed the bow???  Can you guess why I selected this placement????  A BIG FAT SMUDGE!!!  LOL  Sometimes you just gotta get creative when you weren't planning on it.

OK, that's it for the cards. . .As promised, I created a short video with all of you in mind.  So many of you have grown fond of my "Boys", and always include them with your hugs sent to us.  So, I thought it would be fun to make a short video of us taking a walk and invite you along.  So, won't you join us on a leg of our walk?  If you'd like to, just click on the video below, and come along with us.  I think you'll laugh at the end.  It is about 7 minutes long, and we'd love to have you walk with us.

Thanks for joining us!  We're glad you walked with us and hope you enjoyed it!  LOL

BEFORE I LET YOU GO, CAN I ASK YOU FOR ANOTHER SMALL FAVOR???  A very sweet blogging friend of mine had to say good-bye to her beautiful fur baby yesterday.  I have cried off and on all day over this.  Cheryl has a very short, sweet tribute to her sweet Ollie and a picture of her on her blog HERE.  Won't you please go and give her some encouragement and a hug?  They went through so much with Ollie at the end.  My heart is just broken.  Thank you for going to see her.  I appreciate it and I know she will.

OK my very sweet friends.  Thanks for stopping by.  I love you guys!

Best,

Curt O'Brien

"God, please help me be the person that my dogs think I am."

THE WEDNESDAY EVENING POST FOR SEPTEMBER 15, 2010

Hey All!

It is Wednesday again, and time for another Wednesday Evening Post.  I've got a TON to share with you, including 2 projects with RECYCLING.  You won't believe what I used!  I've also got what I think is a really cool "Pic of the Week" at the bottom of the post, and a photo to share.

I also want you to meet a brand new blogger!  Lee and I "met" when she sent me an email wanting to know if we could be "pen pals".  Lee lives in St. Agnes, Cornwall and was such a sweet lady I immediately agreed.  She sent me several emails and we corresponded back and forth for several weeks.  Then I got to see a card she did and it was wonderful.  I started bugging her to start her own blog, but she kept telling me she wasn't computer literate blah, blah, blah.  So, long story short, she agreed to start a blog because I offered to help her set it up.  She is now up and running and I know she would love for you to visit.  Here is the link to her blog:  LEES CRAFTY CORNER.  She has already got quite the following and has only been up a few days.  Happy blogging Lee!

OK, on to my cards. . .

The first one is a sympathy card I did for a very sweet neighbor.  Her father passed away recently, and I wanted her to know how sorry I was.  Here is the card:

If you click on the picture, you will see that I added Flower Soft to the silhouetted images.  I stamped the image several times and left the space for the sentiment.  I did my own mix of Flower Soft for this card.  I had a jar of Nut Brown and a jar of Bright Orange.  So I mixed  up a little of each to come up with what you see. The stamp is a Penny Black.  Now, here is the RECYCLED part of the card. . .can you see it?  It's the little buckle on the ribbon. . .can you tell what it is????  It is the pop top from a can of Coke!  I got this great idea from one of Gina K's videos over at Stamp TV.  I think it is one of the best sites on the Web.  You can color them with markers and I made mine look like tortoise shell with a copper and gold marker.  The last thing I did was color the white of the ribbon with a tan marker to soften the white.

My next card is my first Fall card of the season. . .

This card started out as a different technique using bleach.  "How did that work out for you Curt" you ask????  Not so much!  Gina K made it look flawless, but mine just looked like I spilled bleach.  Oh well. . .So I started all over and went to a new technique.  Painting with Ranger Distress Inks and an Aqua Brush.  I am so in love with the Ranger Distress Inks.  I honestly believe they are the best and most versatile inks on the market.  I stamped this Hero Arts image with Versamark ink, then embossed it with fine detail black ep.  I used Rusty Hinge, Crushed Olive, and Fired Brick inks to color them.  I stamped the Ranger ink on a clear acrylic block then picked up the color with my Aqua Brush.  The colors are so vibrant.  Your going to see lots more projects where I'm using the Ranger inks.  The sentiment was computer generated.

My last card that I want to share with you is again one with some RECYCLED material.  It is also the first of the Thanksgiving cards I've made this year. . .

Can you tell what is the recycled piece on this one????  Here's a clue, it is part of the pumpkin. . . take a look at the picture below for another clue. . .

LOL, do you think I've lost my mind????  The picture below is the backside of the above. . .

Is this fun or what???  A blogging friend of mine in Texas had made a great card using a pumpkin made out of this.  I went nuts over it, and she surprised me be sending me some of it!  So, I made my card using the pumpkin I made out of it.  Makes you kinda want to start pulling other packaging apart doesn't it???  LOL  My pumpkin was created by cutting out 3 ovals with my Nesties and then I distressed the edges with distress inks and then glued them together.  The "stem" is ribbon obviously, and the sentiment is from Waltzing Mouse Designs "Peaceful & Plenty" stamp set.  I forgot to look who did the paper.  Sorry.  It's a simple card but I think it is really sweet and has a country/folksy kind of look.

That's it for the cards, but I am hoping your will indulge me for just a moment.  I took the boys to a local park today for their daily jaunt.  When we take a rest, Gunther has this thing he does where he plops down and starts rolling back and forth (no, he is not rolling in anything smelly - LOL).  As he rolls on his back, back and forth, he makes this guttural, growling noise as if he is frustrated about something.  He has done this for years. However today, he really was into it and when he finished this is what he looked like:

OMG it made me laugh right out loud.  He had all those sticks and leaves stuck all over him, and his bandanna had come up and hung sideways on the top of his head.  I was laughing so hard that I could barely hold the camera still to get the photo, and I was so thrilled at how it turned out.  He is such a HUGE CLOWN!  Thanks for indulging me on this picture, but I just had to show it to you all.

OK, all done.  I hope you've enjoyed your visit!  Please don't forget the "Pic of the Week".  I think it is really a unique one.  Not the greatest shot I've taken but still unique.


I'll be visiting you all in the next few days to see what you've been up to!  Can't wait to see.  I hope you are all well and having a great week.


Hugs to all of you!


Best,


Curt O'Brien


"God, please help me be the person that my dogs think I am."