Pandas, scarves, gremlins, and cold

First, a Panda themed card for a friend I've known since kindergarten. The stamp set used is Party Like a Panda from Simon Says Stamp. The card design is from Dawn's Stamping Thoughts and is called an Angle Pop Up Wow card. The link should take you to that entry in her blog. I used Copic markers to color the images.

My current knitting is a mindless project but a slow growing one. The pattern is called Zick Zack and is a free pattern on Ravelry. The yarn is sock weight, the needles are US size 2. It is all garter stitch, therefore, easy. This will be perfect with my winter jacket, even if it isn't ready until fall of this year. I'm not that slow a knitter, this is my "between-other-projects" project.  

The first time I used this was after a winning a gift certificate at a yarn store and purchasing a set of smaller balls of hand dyed, variegated yarn and making this scarf that I thought might be okay. That was goal, just "okay". This has become my favorite scarf and gets the most comments when worn. 

Gremlins....we have to blame someone or something for the unexplainable, right? In a roughly two week time period, I've had a bogus charge on one credit card (resolved, thankfully), incorrect items delivered for the first time in a long history of ordering from one company (in the process of getting the correct one and returning the mistake), a break down in accessing my email on my computer (but all is fine on mobile devices), and the handsets on my house phones have been resetting their clocks at random. As I talk to others, many seem to be having unusual inconveniences. Residual 2020 crapola? 

And lastly, it is cold outside. In Michigan, in January. Who would have guessed, right? Better days are coming. Until then, I will continue to make things to keep me sane. 

Little Boy Blue sweater

 This sweater is going to a handsome little guy that is 6 months old already. He is a big boy so I made a size 2-3 (pattern designation on that sizing). It may be right for him by fall according to the photos I see on Facebook. 

Because the garter stitch hem wants to flip up on the bottom of the sweater, I may switch to traditional ribbing on the hems, and neckline also. I think I could eliminate that button placket with a ribbed neckline. 

How I feel about winter

Snowmen images and collectibles are cute. Cold weather and actual falling (and accumulating) snow are not.  The stamp set used is Winter Warm Up by Penny Black. 

 

Out of this world birthday card

My son is not a child, nor is he noticeably interested in outer space, but this is his birthday card this year.  The style is called a waterfall card. When the tab at the bottom (where the silver cord is seen) is pulled, the four panels flip over one by one to reveal a new image or message. I've made this style before, but a die set from Mama Elephant, Mega Flipper, made this easy to assemble. The images and sentiments are all from Hero Arts: August 2017 kit Celestial; and stamp sets Astronomical and Out of This World Christmas.  Backgrounds were done with white, black, and violet inks used on navy blue card stock with a spatter of silver paint to create the galaxy look. Images were colored with a combination of Zig markers and Prismacolor pencils. 

I began this card last Wednesday when I had to take a break from the news. Last Wednesday, January 6, 2021 was when Trump's anarchists stormed the US Capitol and caused 5 deaths in their insane attempt at keeping Trump as president. I never thought this would happen in the USA and yet there it was. I have kept myself busy with crafts, reading, and subscription TV channels to maintain some sense of personal peace during this chaos. 

Put Your Red Dress On Challenge

I have not decided how I will use this card yet so there is no sentiment inside.  The stamp, ink, and card stocks are all from Gina K. Designs. The stamp is Flower Child, ink is Obsidian amalgam, and card stocks are Turquoise Sea and Cherry Red.  The colored pencils used were all Prismacolor. Black and white Sakura Glaze pens were used, along with a Copic multiliner and clear Wink of Stella. 

Welcoming the new year

2020 has ended but the new year still has the dregs of yesterday's coffee stains in the proverbial pot of life.  That may sound negative but is only meant as an observation. All of the changes that need to come could not happen overnight, even if everyone was on the same page and doing their best. 

In my corner of the world, the very small part that I feel I can control, life goes on much as it has for a long while. I talk to the same people although not always face to face, I read, make cards, knit, work on other crafts while maintaining what needs to be maintained. I was alternately busy, not feeling like writing, or wanted to keep cards and projects under wraps for most of the fall so I fell off the grid with posting. 

A plus from this time of the pandemic was finding some crafters on YouTube that have been great to interact with. Before this, I didn't spend much time on YouTube unless I was looking for something specific. Most crafters present themselves as cheerful people and I appreciate that as much as I appreciate them sharing their knowledge. 

Colorado Craft Company is now carrying stamps from Anita Jeram who has illustrated children's books such as Guess How Much I Love You by Sam MacBratney and also writing and illustrating her own books. 

These images are from the Party Time stamp set. I am certain I will use these for cards this year, but these images are going in my personal journal, a new style that was a Christmas gift. 

Coloring was done with Prismacolor pencils on Neenah Solar White 80# card stock. Coordinating dies cut out the images as shown. They now reside on black paper to set them off against my white journal page.