Wednesday, September 30, 2020

A Floral Hello

I've been a member of the Technique Tuesday Greenhouse Society for quite a long time. I love flower stamps so it seemed like a perfect fit! Truthfully, I have used some of these stamps, but others I've been guilty of leaving un-inked. for. way. too. long. I've committed to using them this year in my Greenhouse Society series.

Since the sets arrive toward the end of the month, I actually use them the following month, so today's card is mad with the August 2020 Greenhouse Society stamp set - Echinacea.



Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set
: Technique Tuesday Echinacea stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers
Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White and SU Pineapple Punch CS and DP from my scrap file

Dies/Punch: MFT Stitched Mod Rectangle Die, Rubbernecker Nested Rectangle Stitch Die, and a SU Oval Punch

Embellishments: Paper Studio Mini Brads

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

2020 Travel the World - Week 39

I started a Travel the World Series last year. (It should be noted that I did a similar thing in 2018, only it was the 50 states.) For 50 weeks in 2019, I visited a different country (virtually) and shared facts about that country. I then selected one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. Fifty weeks; fifty countries... BUT there are 195 countries in the world so that was just a little over 25% of them. Of course I couldn't stop, so this year I'm continuing with fifty more countries, one per week.

This week's country is...


Iceland

Iceland is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic.

Just south of the Artic Circle, Iceland is considered to be part of Europe for political, historical, cultural and practical reasons.

Iceland is the 18th largest island int he world and Europe's second largest island after Great Britain.

Despite its name, Iceland's surface is only ten percent ice and it has surprisingly mild winters due to the warming effect of the Atlantic Gulf Stream.

Iceland was settled by Vikings from Norway sometime in the 800s, making Iceland a fairly young country when it comes to settlement. This also contributes to its distinct cultural background.

Only about 20% of the country is inhabited.

There are only about 330,000 people in Iceland, and almost 200,000 of them live in Reykjavik. Moreover, most of them are descended from the same group of 9th century Viking settlers.

Before the Vikings plundered Iceland, 40 percent of the nation was covered in trees. However, they needed all the trees to build homes, boats and to clean land for farming.

Only one fourth of the island has any vegetation and only one percent of the soil is arable. The once extensive forests are depleted and now almost non-existent. The remaining trees are mostly birch, spruce, aspen, and willow.

There are over 30 active volcanoes in Iceland.

About 11% of the country is covered in glaciers.

Iceland is full of remote and rugged landscapes, and to reach some of them, especially in the winter, some locals use "super jeeps". A super jeep is a highly modified truck with a lifted suspension and oversized tires that allow it to cross deep rivers or drive through deep snow and ice. Most of Iceland's roads are paved, but for the off-road trails that go into the central highlands, these jeeps make it possible to travel in the winter.

Iceland's conditions are excellent for skiing, snowboarding, rock and ice climbing, mountain climbing, hiking, fishing, cycling, and ski touring. 

A fantastic destination for hiking is the wilderness area of Hornstrandir with its craggy mountains, sea cliffs, and plunging waterfalls. Seals, arctic foxes, whales, and a variety of bird life can be seen there.

Over half of Icelanders believe in the existence of invisible elves and trolls living in the countryside, with many others at least open to the possibility. It is not unusual to see small elf houses in the country that people have built so that the elves will have somewhere to live. There is also an official Elf School in Iceland, where one can learn about Icelandic elf history.

Icelanders love to play sports including football, basketball, volleyball, and horseback riding, but the national sport of Iceland is actually handball. The game is played between two teams consisting of seven players in a rectangular field. The object of the game is to score by driving the ball into the opposing net. After 60 minutes, the team with the most goals wins.

Children in Iceland don't get the same name as either of their parents. Instead the child's last name is derived from the father's or mother's first name.

Iceland has a "naming committee" that keeps an official register of approved Icelandic names. There are many names that are banned, and anyone wanting to name their child something that's not already on the list has to submit it for approval.

Icelanders call each other by their given names, even the president. The telephone directory is even listed alphabetically by first name rather than surname.

Iceland has many geysers. The English word geyser is derived from Iceland's famous Geysir. Today Geysir doesn't erupt often, but nearby Strokkur erupts ever eight to ten minutes.

The Northern Lights can be seen in Iceland from September to March.

Iceland is one of the safest countries in the world. The country had an unprecedented number of murders in 2017 - a total of four. In a typical yer, there's an average of 1.6 murders and a very low instance of other violent or drug-related crimes.

There is no standing army, but the Coast Guard maintains the Iceland Air Defense System and patrols coastal waters. The police forces carry no guns.

On average, workers in Iceland work 45 hours per week, longer than any other country in Europe.

Iceland is a very literacy-focused country. The tradition of reading in Iceland dates back to the 13th century. One our of every ten Icelanders will publish a book in his/her lifetime.

Iceland students learn three languages - their native language as well as English and Danish.

Iceland was the last place on earth to be settled by humans.

The only mammal native to Iceland is the Arctic Fox. Settlers originally brought the other animals found on the island, including Icelandic sheep, cattle, goats, chickens, Icelandic horses and the Icelandic sheepdog. 

Polar bears occasionally arrive on an ice flow from Greenland but they don't live in Iceland.

The Icelandic horse is the only horse breed in Iceland. The Icelandic horse has played a very important part in Iceland's history. They are believed to be one of the purest breeds in the world and are known for their muscular bodies and their ability to grow long hair in the winter and shorter hair in the summer. Icelandic horses can be found all around the country and are known to be both friendly and curious.

Commercial whaling is practiced as well as scientific whale hunts, but Iceland makes more money from whale watching tours than the whaling industry.

Iceland is mosquito free.

It's illegal to own a pet lizard, snake, or turtle in Iceland. There are no reptiles of amphibians there.

Iceland is home to over 60% of the world's Atlantic puffin population with over 8 million puffins there (I have to wonder how they know these things???). The puffins are best seen between May and August when they breed on small uninhabited islands just off the shore of the mainland. Most of the time, puffins live on the sea, resting on the waves. Once a year, they return to their mating grounds where the female lays one egg. Both the male and female take turns incubating the egg. They mate for life, remaining monogamous for over 20 years. Another interesting fact about puffins: they flap their wings over 400 times per minute.

McDonald's does not exist in Iceland. McDonald's did open a restaurant in Reykjavik in the 1990s, but the chain was not popular enough to survive and pulled out, never to return. There are several other fast food chains there though... and hot dogs are particularly popular.

Coffee is a popular beverage for every meal and an afternoon treat.

Coca cola is consumed in Iceland at one of the world's highest per capita rates.

There is no tipping in Iceland.

Instead of Santa, the thirteen Yule Lads help children celebrate Icelandic Christmases.

I decided to let this Iceland fact be the inspiration for this week's card... The day before Christmas in most parts of the world is simply known as Christmas Eve, but in Iceland it's more than that. It's the day on which family members exchange books as gifts and spend the evening reading them.





Thanks for stopping by my blog today!


Stamp Sets
: MFT Birdie Brown Our Story stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers and SU Lovely Like a Tree stamped with Memento Cottage Ivy Ink

Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White and SU Cherry Cobbler CS and DP from my scrap file

Die: Rubbernecker Nested Rectangle Stitch

Embellishments: Michael's Rhinestones

Monday, September 28, 2020

Falling Leaves

I have a lot of stamps - and sadly many of them have not even seen ink. That just shouldn't be, right? That's one of the reasons why I like Barb's Challenge Your Stash group on SCS. Each month we have a theme (we take turns choosing it) and we create theme-worthy cards... but we can't shop for anything. We have to use what we have. 

This month's theme was chosen by Tracie - LEAVES. Tracie gave no restrictions so long a there are leaves on our cards.

I searched through my stash (easily done since I have my stamps inventoried and tagged in Evernote) and found quite a few sets that include leaves. Some of my sets had larger leaves that would be more the focal point of the card, but I chose to use the image from the Stamping Bella Tiny Townie Fay Loves Fall. Why? Truthfully because I have owned this stamp set a long time but had been intimidated by it. The image is large (it takes up almost the entire card front) and yet the items in it are small enough that some of them are challenging for me to color. Sooooo... the set just sat, unused.

until. now.

Once I stamped it and started coloring it, I felt so foolish. It really wasn't hard to color and the image looks great on a card, even though it is large.


The sentiment is from the My Favorite Things Lil' Pumpkin (Pure Innocence) stamp set.


I hope Tracie and Barb - and the other CYS gals - like my card. I hope you do, too!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Sets: My Favorite Things Lil' Pumpkin and Stamping Bella Tiny Townie Fay Loves Fall stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White and SU Pumpkin Pie CS and DP from my scrap file

Ink (for distressing): Lawn Fawn Manatee

Die: My Favorite Things Stitched Rounded Rectangle

Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Matte Finish Enamel Dots

Sunday, September 27, 2020

Workers for the Harvest

The Bible Art Journaling group on SCS has a monthly theme, chosen by Julie, the leader of the group. She encourages us to journal an entry based on the month's theme. 

This month's theme is Fruit/Harvest - or anything from the Gospel of Luke. 

I love Jesus' instructions regarding the harvest and chose to journal Luke 10:2...

These were his instructions to them: "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields."


Image: CC Designs Farmer Fred



Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Saturday, September 26, 2020

I Can't Thank You Enough

I don't have many Asian-themed stamp sets in my collection, but I am delighted that I have the Raisin Boat Asian Serenity Bold stamp set. It has some great images - flowers, leaves, and even a Bonsai tree. It also has the words Love, Joy, and Peace. It's such a soothing stamp set.


I needed a Thank You card, so I also used a sentiment from the Raisin Boat Flourish Sentiments stamp set.



I stamped the leaves/stem in the bottom right corner of the inside of my card, too.



Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Sets: Raisin Boat Asian Serenity Bold and Flourish Sentiment stamped with Lawn Fawn Inks (Cilantro, Guava, and Peachy Keen)

Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White and SU Blush Blossom and Cameo Coral CS

Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug Anna Griffin Matelasse 

Embellishments: CC Designs Enamel Dots and SU Ribbon

Friday, September 25, 2020

Happy Bird-Day

 

I love seeing birds on the high lines. I also like the pictures of similar scenes. I decided to try to recreate that look on a card - with some help from Eyelet Outlet.

With the fun sentiment I was able to create a birthday card with just a few simple steps.


I started with a piece of 120# White Cardstock and used the Heffy Doodle Cloudy Skies stencil to create the clouds. Then I used a Fine Line Copic Marker to add the high lines. From there it was just a matter of deciding which Eyelet Outlet bird brads to use and where to place them.

The sentiment is from the My Favorite Things Toucan Can Do It stamp set.


Eyelet Outlet Products:

Cardinal Brad

Cardinal Profile Brad

Eagle Brad

Robin Brad

Bling Strip


I wonder if it is possible to add black embossing powder to the birds to transform them into silhouette birds. I might have to experiment with that at some point.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: MFT Toucan Do It stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Paper: Accent Opaque 120# White, Recollections Black, and SU Ballet Blue CS

Stencil/Ink: Heffy Doodle Cloudy Skies and Lawn Fawn Moonstone Ink

Die: Rubbernecker Nested Rectangle Stitch

Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Bling Strip and Brads


Thursday, September 24, 2020

Squeeze the Day!

 You may have noticed today's card on my blog a couple of weeks ago. It's actually one that I made for SCS's Dare to Get Dirty so I shared it in one of my posts with several other DTGD cards. 

Today I'm back to share it with you again, at the request of Denise, the owner of The Project Bin. I am so blessed to be on her design team - she's not only a great owner/designer of a unique line of stamps, she's also just about the sweetest woman you could know.

I used on of The Project Bin stamp/die sets to make the card. It's called Yello! but of course a yellow lemon can easily become a lime when colored green. 





Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: The Project Bin Yello! stamped with Memento and Lawn Fawn Inks and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White, Recollections Black, and SU Cucumber Crush CS

Inks (for Blending the Background): Lawn Fawn Celery Stick, Freshly Cut Grass, and Jalapeno)

Embellishments: Enamel Dots from an unknown vendor


Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Altenew Paint-a-Flower #3

I love flower stamps. One of the reasons I like them is because I love to color them... and if you've been around my blog much, you know how much I love to color. 

i. love. to. color.

I signed up for the monthly Altenew Paint-a-Flower subscription because I think Altenew has some of the most gorgeous flower stamps. Today's card features the third set I've received as a subscriber and like the other two sets, it is gorgeous - and was a lot of fun to color!



Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Altenew Paint-a-Flower Paeonia Japonica stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White and SU Blush Blossom CS

Die: MFT Stitched Mod Rectangle

Embellishments: Recollections Rhinestones

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

A Stamp for All Seasons - Autumn

It is the first day of Autumn... and today I'm sharing my third card in my A Stamp for All Seasons series. I chose one stamp - the Stamping Bella Two Gnomes on a Log - and am featuring it on a seasonal card at the beginning of each season. If you missed the other cards in my series, you can see them - HERE.

For today's card I did some fussy cutting and used a variety of dies to complete my card.



There's one more season to go. I wonder what these two gnomes will get into this winter???

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp: Stamping Bella Two Gnomes on a Log stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White, Recollections Ivory, and SU Cajun Craze CS and DP from my scrap file

Dies: Altenew Bold Thanks, Catherine Pooler Circle Stripe, Rubbernecker Nested Rectangle Stitch, and Spellbinders Circle

Embellishments: Simple Story Enamel Dots and SU Ribbon

Monday, September 21, 2020

2020 Travel the World - Week 38

FYI - my Travel the World card is a day early tomorrow as I have another commitment on my blog tomorrow. 

I started a Travel the World Series last year. (It should be noted that I did a similar thing in 2018, only it was the 50 states.) For 50 weeks in 2019, I visited a different country (virtually) and shared facts about that country. I then selected one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. Fifty weeks; fifty countries... BUT there are 195 countries in the world so that was just a little over 25% of them. Of course I couldn't stop, so this year I'm continuing with fifty more countries, one per week.

This week's country is...


Burundi


Burundi is one of the 45 landlocked countries in the world. It is in the center of Africa and is located just below the equator. It is bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania tot he east and south, and Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west.

Its residents are known as Burundians.

The landscape in Burundi is distinguished by its hills and valleys covered with banana plantations, eucalyptus trees, and fertile pastures; however, the country's east with its savannah grasslands stands in direct contrast to its fertile areas.

The country is eleven times smaller than Poland. In US comparison, it is slightly smaller than the state of Maryland.

Burundi is the third most densely populated country in Africa, after Mauritius and Rwanda. There are concerns for its population due to overgrazing, deforestation and soil erosion.

Burundians traditionally built their houses of grass and mud in a shape reminiscent of a beehive and wove leaves together for the roof. The traditional Tutsi hut was surrounded by cattle corrals. Today the most common materials are mud and sticks, although wood and cement blocks are also used. The roofs are usually tin, since leaves are a short supply as a result of deforestation.

A majority of the population of Burundi lives in villages that are scattered throughout the highlands.

Over 80% of Burundians live in rural areas. Burundi is largely poor and underdeveloped. Having one of the lowest literate rates in Africa and the world, this means that youths lack modern knowledge and skills required to diversify their livelihoods away from dependence on rural agriculture.

Burundi gained its independence from Belgium on July 1, 1962. At that time it became one of the first black republics in the world.


Gustave is an enormous crocodile in Burundi. He is believed to be the biggest crocodile in the world at over 18 feet long and 2,000 pounds. Gustave reigns terror along the banks of the Ruzizi River and the northern shores of Lake Tanganyika where he is believed to have killed more than 300 people. Although he is yet to be captured, he has been seen by several locals. The crocodile is 64 years old, which is about the median age, considering that Nile crocodiles can live to be 200 years old.

Only 3% of the people in Burundi have access to the internet, making it one of the world's worst countries for internet access.

Burundi has three national parks: Kibira National Park to the northwest (a small region of the rainforest), Rurubu National Park to the northeast (along the Rurubu River), and Rusizi National Park which is the most popular tourist attraction in Burundi.

The Kagera Falls are a spectacular series of waterfalls in southeastern Burundi.

Cows are a symbol of happiness, health and prosperity in Burundi. A common Kirundi greeting is amashyo, which translates as may you have many herds of cattle.

Cows occupy a near-sacred place in the Burundian society. Its horns are considered especially sacred. While in most other traditional African societies horns are used as musical instruments and sometimes as part of magicians' paraphernalia, in Burundi, they are planted near the owner's home instead. To the Burundians, this is akin to planting blessings. In some ways, it acts as thanksgiving for the delicious meat provided  by the departed cow, but more so as blessings for more cows to come.

Burundi came in as the least happiest country in the world in the 2018 World Happiness Report and traditionally is one of the least happiest countries every year. (On the opposite end of the spectrum, Finland was the happiest country in the world in 2018.)

Drumming is an important part of the Burundian cultural heritage.

Crafts are an important art form in Burundi and are especially attractive to tourists looking for gifts to take home. Basket weaving is a popular craft for Burundian artisians.

Lake Tanganyika is the second oldest freshwater lake in the world, second largest by volume, and the second deepest. It is divided among four countries - Burundi, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia.

The country does not have a coastline but that doesn't stop it from having a beach. The beach, which is part of the shore of Lake Tanganyika is a great place to take a dip and enjoy the warm water.

Burundi participated for the first time in the 1996 Olympic Games and won a gold medal. In doing so, Burundi became the poorest country ever to win an Olympic gold medal.

Ninety percent of the population of Burundi is employed in agriculture. Its exports coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, and hides.

Burundi's Livingstone-Stanley Monument overlooks Lake Tanganyika and marks a location where explorer and missionary David Livingstone and journalist and explorer Henry Morton Stanley visited and spent two nights in November of 1871.

Group jogging is banned in Burundi. In 2014, the country's president banned the activity, citing the reason that such walks can help people plan anti-government activities.

Burundi boasts hippopotamuses, monkeys, elephants, lemurs, squirrels, bats, cheetahs, leopards, mongooses, zebras, and buffalo, plus several endemic species of plants and animals.

Locals believe that a woman can lose her virginity simply by riding a bicycle, so cycling is mostly only a male activity in the country.

Burundi has varying amounts of the following natural resources: uranium, rare earth oxides, nickel, copper, vanadium, limestone, tungsten, gold, tin, niobium, and tatalum.
 
I decided to let this Burundi fact be the inspiration for this week's card... The nation's largest source of revenue is coffee, which makes up 93% of Burundi's exports.




Thanks for stopping by my blog today!


Stamp Sets
: Altenew Coffee with a Splash and CC Designs Latte Lucy stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White, Recollections Black and SU Calypso Coral CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: Paper Studio Mini Brads and a Heart-shaped Brad from an unknown vendor