Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas!

Here's my wish to everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I had the need for a few more Christmas cards, especially since all the ones I already made are still with the caterer who wants to put one in each tray she is delivering today. Now, I'll be late with some of my cards, but made this one for some last minute attempts.

I saw combinations of this card, especially the masking with the skaters, using the SU Top Note die, Winter Post's skaters and Lovely as a Tree. Dawn did a great video tutorial on masking, for those who don't know how. I've struggled with this snowflake edge since I got it and it finally busted itself. Drat!

This card stands up nicely. I added glitter here and there, but the glue pen ran the ink. Still, a very pretty card. Snuck in the snowflake Cuttlebug embossing folder and some silver ribbon from my stash.

(-: ¸.·´* .·´*¨¨)) -:¦:- ***
((¸¸´*~Kathy.·´*)****¨¨))
-:¦:- ·· ((¸¸.·´* .·´*((¸¸.·.·´ *-:¦:- ... :-)

Friday, December 19, 2008

Thanks, Michelle!

I wanted to thank my side line Michelle for all the help she gave me straightening out the preceding post. It wasn't easy and it took a while, but we got it all fixed up. Thanks, Michelle!

(-: ¸.·´* .·´*¨¨)) -:¦:- ***
((¸¸´*~Kathy.·´*)****¨¨))
-:¦:- ·· ((¸¸.·´* .·´*((¸¸.·.·´ *-:¦:- ... :-)

Bragg-Mitchell House in Mobile, AL

Last week on our way to Birmingham for Russel's company holiday party, we stopped in Mobile so he could work on some equipment. This left me with time on my hands, so I went looking around for something to do. Russel's boss was there, too, so I had Russel's car. I found a cool ante-bellum mansion only a few miles from our hotel and figured out how to get there and back without getting lost. This is the Bragg Mitchell House, built by a judge in 1855. The Yankees occupied it during the end of the Civil War and cut down most of the live oaks, breaking the judge's heart, but as you can see, he replanted and the trees are all gorgeous as if they had never been cut down.
The house was bought by the Mitchell family in 1924 and restored. In 1964, the Mitchell's daughter gave the house to the City of Mobile and it has been completely restored to the tune of more than a million dollars.
The first picture is of the front of the house which shows 10 of the 16 columns which surround the front part of the house. Five more columns go down the back side out of the picture.



This is the historic marker out front, but the house is actually known on maps and brochures as the "Bragg-Mitchell" Home.


Also pictured is a cool little collection of nutcrackers. There were lots of them throughout the house.


Lots of weddings happen in the front parlor. Pictured here are the front half of the parlor with the Christmas tree ...


...and the rear half with a large table and a mantle with a picture of Mrs. Mitchell.

This is the mantle across from the canopied bed. It shows the lace curtains trailing a little on the floor. The docent said this is a sign of a wealthy home, having enough lace to lay on the floor. Every foot of lace is supposed to represent a million dollars in the bank! I told her I had heard that the extra curtain length on the floor was to cover the boots of lovers hiding behind the curtains when the husband comes home unexpectedly. Both are good explanations!


This the gorgeous dining room table set for Christmas.

This picture is of a "Mallard" bed because it has a large egg carved in the headboard, just above where the picture cuts off. The dress is just a pretty dress set up on a form.

This is a picture of one of the live oaks next to the house, covered with Resurrection Fern. During dry periods (one of which ended the day we arrived in Mobile!), the fern shrivels and dries and looks brown and dead. After even a little rain (and it had poured the night before), it greens up and looks like this, thus resurrecting itself from the dead. I had seen this fern in places in Florida, but never knew what it was until the tour guide told me. She said it had been looking dead for weeks!

I liked the way they decorated this Original wood door for Christmas.

I liked this canopied bed in one of the bedrooms on the second floor. Very elegant.

Hope you liked my little tour. I couldn't believe I was the only visitor and that I could take all the pics I wanted.

(-: ¸.·´* .·´*¨¨)) -:¦:- ***
((¸¸´*~Kathy.·´*)****¨¨))
-:¦:- ·· ((¸¸.·´* .·´*((¸¸.·.·´ *-:¦:- ... :-)

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Finally, Stamp Camp Pics!

Well, I finally got time to go through the 100+ pics on my poor overworked digital camera. I have three categories to post and here's the first bunch. My stamp club (not SU related) had its Christmas stamp camp on Dec. 6 at the community center where one of our members (thanks, Helen!) lives during the winter. I've had a busy couple of weeks and will be sharing pics of stuff I've made, the best of the pics I took while touring an ante-bellum mansion in Mobile, and these stamp camp pics.

First up is Cheryl's iris folding ornament exchange card.

Next is Dani's silver, black and white exchange card.

This is Genny's snowy red barn exchange card.

This is Jeannie's cheery birdie lineup exchange card.

This is the first five of ten cards I made from Pat's OSW project. It's not a true OSW, as Pat gave us pieces of lots of different designer papers and I added more myself, but they all follow same scheme and go in the cute tote purse Pat showed us how to make. My sister wanted a bunch of thank you cards, so she's getting ten!

Here's the other five cards. Pat used mostly non-SU CS and DSP, but I used a couple pieces of Au Chocolat, a lovely retired but not forgotten SU DSP. I changed the tote to use flower brads instead of the eyelets Pat used on hers.


This is the snowy skaters medallion I made for the exchange card. I used a nifty punch technique I learned from Splitcoast, snowflake embossed the main white layer, and did the glittery layer in a technique I've demonstrated at workshops and will do as the project with Helen for our club's January meeting.


This is a quickie pic of the six tags I got in the tag swap. Of the nine ladies who attended, only seven brought tags for the exchange. These are the six I received. Clockwise from the top, the angel with the folding body is Neva's, the blue tag with snowflake is Helen's, the poinsettia tag is Therese's, the plaid ribbon tag is Dani's and the snowy scene is Elle's.

This is a group shot of the six tags I made with mirror CS from Marco's Papers, cut out with scalloped Nesties, topped with the round tab punch and Real Red ribbon bows from SU, and snowflake stickers stuck on wherever.
This is Neva's exchange card with a family of bears off on a snowy road trip to bring home the tree!
This is Tange's Holiday Lineup exchange card. She says purple is her favorite color!
Here is Therese's sample of the project she did with alcohol inks on acetate. I haven't finished mine, but it is a cool technique.

(-: ¸.·´* .·´*¨¨)) -:¦:- ***
((¸¸´*~Kathy.·´*)****¨¨))
-:¦:- ·· ((¸¸.·´* .·´*((¸¸.·.·´ *-:¦:- ... :-)

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Pat's OSW Project


Well, we had a great time at stamp camp yesterday, but I have zero time to play with all the pics and get them on this blog like I promised. Only one picture is critical and that is the board with all of Pat's OSW cards on it. I don't have a pic of the cute little purse the cards go in because I haven't finished mine, yet, but I will. Right now, I'm maxxed out getting ready for Christmas and Russel's company party. To hold everyone for a bit, attaching picture of Pat's OSW board.