Doing Yoga with Purr-ty Cats!

GIU Day #3 and I'm making it CLEAN AND SIMPLE!!!

Inside of Card 

 

 

It's going out of my comfort zone to do something quick and easy, but what I like about that...is that it's QUICK AND EASY!  Easy clean up, easy everything.  If I were to redo, and I was tempted, it's just that my schedule isn't allowing me to do so tonight...I'd try this in pinks, or a turquoise blue, etc.  I struggled with matching my blue distress oxide inks that I gently blended the blue background with any card stock that I have combined with my designer papers in my stash.  I'm surprised, because I have THOUSANDS of both..card stock and designer papers.  But...I wanted this quick and easy...not hours of hunting down the perfect paper.  I applied a film of sparkly holographic stars paper to give it that shiny sparkly look you see on my designer paper.  I love these cats, and when I showed this card to my sister...she called them YOGA cats!  They do kind of look like that!  So, YOGA Cats it is!  

 

Supplies used:

 

Unity Stamp Set:  Purr-ty Cats 

Designer Paper Used:  Atomic Kitty Cat {Paper Pack} 

For Sparkly Stars:  Holographic Sticker Paper 

 

Dies are random dies from my stash...not sure where I picked them up from, they are out of their original packaging, in a magnetic folder!:    Magnetic Die Folder Holders 

 

Thanks for stopping by today!  Back tomorrow with Day 4! 

Take Me to the Beach!

 Day 2 of being a GIU guest....and I was waffling between showcasing either a clean and simple card, or one not so much... well... while I was trying to decide...

 

I got an order from one of my longtime customers in my chocolate biz.  It's one of my biggest customers, if not my biggest, they are a major tourist attraction on the Oregon Coast, and they keep my staff busy all summer during the vacation/beach season.  I saw that as a sign to showcase my "Sunshine & Happiness" card...after all, when the beach calls...you run to it!  

I fiddled around with my sand here, and decided alcohol markers were making my eyes happier than ink blending.  Any tips and tricks on ink blending, please send my way.  I suspect it's the card stock I use, or maybe my brushes...I seem to be a little heavy handed in spots...but...it's sand, it's possible you will see something similar later this week....another reason I'm showing this today instead of my clean and simple card... (I didn't actually case my own card for my last GIU day...remember, that card is the result of my weekly challenge, so it's what resulted from the criteria, lol...you must come by on Friday, you will understand when you see it!!! 

 Sand with alcohol markers... 

 

 

Sand ink blended... fun textured card stock!

 

My details for this card:

Stamps Used:  Sunshine & Happiness 

***Dies Used:  Scallops & Rectangles  

***NOTE:  this appears to be out of stock, but has a notification button attached to it.  I use this die set ALL.THE.TIME.  I love it, so I thought I'd add the link for future reference.  :)

   Leave comments!  (Bonus if you leave tips for ink blending!  What is the best card stock to use?)  I have a good selection of Tim Holtz Distress Oxides...just need to work on the spotch!)  I will be pulling the comments from all my social media accounts to get my 2 (random) winners of a $20 gift credit!  My Instagram is fairly new...this old girl is late to the party, but, I'm getting the social media thing down.  Thank goodness, my day life/business was established way before things like Facebook and Instagram!  I'm learning as I go....40 years into that!  hahaha

 

Positive Days Are Ahead

Hello!   Welcome to my week as a GIU Guest!  

Entry #1 

 

I've been a guest before (June of 2020), almost the exact dates, just 5 years apart.  So much has happened in those 5 years...We lived through a pandemic, for one, which definitely changed the course of so many things...  I lost people I knew and loved because of it, and secondly, had to restructure my life and business focus too, which changed my view on so many things...definitely a game changer in so many ways.

 Over these 5 years, my creative journey has taken a few turns as well.  In my life I have leaned on my paper crafting time every now and then, especially when life truly threw me really hard stuff...and as I sit here on Father's Day, the first without my Dad, fighting back tears...I know having my creative space in my daylight basement at home, aka known as "The Trudio Studio" has been a blessing for me.  My heart is taking that windy path again, trying to find a new normal.  The "me" time is important, I know, as I've traveled the road before.  I call that studio time, "Creative Therapy".    

Two years ago, I decided to join in on the fun of a weekly challenge, found in Craft Land.  (I will share the challenge I play along in, later this week)  I had found my mental health wasn't good at the time, it's hard watching those close to you struggling with their physical health, and you can't do anything about it. You help as much as you can with the day to day tasks, you put on a fake smile, and you then go back to your home, in tears, with your heart so very sad.  This was me, and I found myself drowning in heartache.  It was then that I decided to join in a weekly challenge, to get my mind on other interests... (I'll share later this week what challenge)...  from that first entry on...I felt a bit of excitement week after week, looking forward to the next and the next and the next.  It doesn't really matter what challenge you find...any challenge will do, there are so so SO many out there,  I found one that was a good fit for me.  Because of my weekly challenge (I've now completed 78 weeks of it..), I have found my process has gone from agonizing over a design, to just moving forward with it.  The ideas roll along faster for me now, and  I can always find the perfect Unity stamp to fit the challenge criteria!  I used a Unity Stamp  this last challenge, which aired Friday night. (my 78th)  I plan to share it here,  this coming  Friday!  Be on the alert for it!!!!!

 In the meantime...  I, day by day, get stronger, as I did when I first joined in on that weekly challenge.

I promise to not be so long winded next post...It sometimes feels good to "get it out".  I've resisted.

 Supplies used...

Stamp Set:  Positive Currents  Unity Stamps 

Designer Paper:  Lily Lagoon 6x6 paper  Unity Stamps

This is definitely not a 1 postage stamp card to mail...it would be a "small package" due to the dimension!  I loved every minute of coloring and dreaming up the "pond" look!

Leave a comment, and you will be entered as a possible recipient of a $20 gift credit to Unity Stamps!      2 lucky winners will be randomly selected after my week.  

I see "Positive Currents" is on sale right now too!

 I started an Instagram!  Leave a comment there as well!  More chances to win that $20 credit!

@the_trudio_studio

 I'm also found on facebook....

The Trudio Studio

 Til tomorrow!  Waffling on a clean and simple card, or one with a few layers...(yet flat enough to be a one postal stamp, USPS!!!  lol  It's because of that dang "small package" size, that I quit using buttons!  I'm not ready to give up my dimension tape though...I don't see that happening, anytime soon! 

 Look close, here's an angle of the dimension...If you count the sentiment...3 popped up layers!

Trudi 

 

 

 

 

Getting Physical in the 80s!

 There is a certain Olivia NJ song that I cannot get out of my head now....  Craft Roulette, episode #270 parameters that popped up this week...definitely made it easy for me:

So...here's my card, parameters listed below it: 

 This 5x7 card clearly has colors that I personally wore in the 80s...

You see several interjection phrases randomly stamped all over the yellow background.

Last, but not least....my jogger girl...has arched her foot.

 

The set I used is from Scrappy Boy Stamps.  It's one offered in the "Cute Girls" line, I'm not seeing it (Cute Girls 1980s) as I quickly peruse the website, so it may be one that retired, but, I can tell you...any and ALL of the "Cute Girls" or "Cute Kids" (there are some with boys too!) have been above and beyond fun coloring and designing with.  

The Skies the Limit!

 Oh how I adore anything of Phyllis Harris!  A Sky With No Limit is the stamp set I used here, from Unity Stamp Company.  I'm sure I have said this before...there is no other like Unity.  The quality of the red rubber stamps, and the Unity artists are in a league of their own.  This stamp happens to be one from the extremely awesome Phyllis Harris line.  I'm still getting in my groove for creating, after a very hard few months, (personal).  There is something soulful and comforting about the Phyllis Harris images.  I am not affiliated with the company, except I'm a big fan and customer.  Anyhow, the parameters to Craft Roulette just seemed to fall into place with this image.  It's my first draft, I probably wouldn't have been so heavy handed with the markers (green dress) if I were to recreate.  (and my sentiment might be slightly crooked, shhhh don't say anything, lol)...  I was just glad I didn't close the craft studio out of my life...losing a loved one is so very hard.  We take it day by day... 

Episode #269, my 76th!!!
 

Out of this WORLD!

 This week's Craft Roulette lead me to making a card using the "Future is Bright" theme that I love using for graduation cards.  I have a fun universe set that I purchased not quite 20 years ago, that has really cool sayings from astronomers, outer space type sayings, etc... one quote:

"Who says the skies the limit, when there are footprints on the moon?"

Not sure who the quote belongs to, but it's in that collection of stamps that I love love love ... there is also 

"Reach for the Stars"

 You get my drift....  I have a ton of outer space type sayings ... not sure which one I'll settle on for this card, but I for sure will get one on the inside.  

 I've had hard personal things going on for the last few months, so I took a break from Craft Roulette.  I'm glad I fit this one in, it was great therapy for me, get my mind off of reality for a bit...plus I had an added bonus, my daughter was creating her first Craft Roulette card....what a fun night we had, after a week of deep sadness, lots of tears and intense emotions.

So...here is mine

 

 

AND...here is hers!

 

 

 

Love Me Some Spinach - Ahoy! Ahoy!

 Ahoy Mateys!  I'm super excited to share my designs using the Ahoy Matey  set in the Kindred Stamps May 2025 Release.  One thing I absolutely LOVE to design, are recipes!  I have several scrapbook cookbooks that I've designed over the last 25 years, and am currently working on one right now too, but...a  little thing like a Mem Dex Recipe Box got in the way!  How fun it is to make a mini version of my 8" x 8" could be pages, and condense them to a mem dex size....  I have my mem dex recipes displayed on my kitchen counter in the coolest mem dex box.  I've been just waiting for a set like this to POP up for a super tasty spinach salad, just in time for summer!

 I really enjoyed playing with the characters of this set!  I thought it might be fun to make a baby announcement using our sailor, his person and sailor baby characters!  

 

 

What's nice, is having a craft room FULL of embellishments....never used before ROPE ribbon, came in handy for my 3rd card ... I haven't made many "tag" cards over the years, but did a few months ago, that I enjoyed the process with, so I gave it a whirl here too.  You will see more "tag" cards from me in the near future...  I have another brewing for a future post.  :)

 

 

 

The Kindred Stitched Alpha Die Set came in handy for my rope embellishment, and what would I do without the Card Basics Die Set.  It is probably my most used die set in my craft room right now!  I used dies from this set on all 3 projects:  stars, stitched matting, and a "life saver" (with a little help from a random circle die to punch out the middle!  :)

 

I loved this release...I loved this set...and I love me some spinach salad too!  Find Ahoy Matey  and other fun sets in the May 2025 New Release Collection for Kindred Stamps!