Happy Clusters Tree

Today was another one of those days where I spent a lot of time working on something that I don't have ready to show you!!  Really!!  OK, I did waste the entire morning-plus on the couch, moaning about my head.  I was a big baby until the coffee and ibuprofen kicked in.  I sure wish that cured my migraines, but once I got moving - things really got going.  Hopefully tomorrow you will get a report on the Christmas service projects!!

For today, I made a simple card using a stamp that I really, really like, but I don't think it gets the respect it deserves.  It's a really cool idea.

This stamp, Happy Clusters  C1471, looks a little weird.  Just stamping an image of a tree or a star filled with solid shapes is rather dull, but if you first stamp the image on a scrap paper, then again on your good paper, this gives you a lighter image that we call a second generation print.  On this card I actually used a third generation print so that it would be extra pale.  This stamp is a guide for placing the decorative stamps.  I wanted to have a lot of choices for decorative stamps, so I also bought Love Clusters C1781 (then I started making butterflies, and I couldn't stop!!)

Close to My Heart also makes buttons in all of these shapes and sizes (not the smallest size), so I added buttons here and there to some of my butterflies and hearts. Here is a heart that I made this summer that never made it on a card or layout.  The butterflies all flew away.

This is the Christmas card that I made for tonight's post.  When I made it, I didn't realize that the Happy Clusters stamp was retired.  I'm not sure why one of the stamps retired before the other.   I meant to work with current stamps tonight.  Oops!!

Negotiations continue with Will about my technique video.  He says that he can do it without any problem.  All we need to buy is a microphone, a video camera (as opposed to the video function on my camera), oh gosh, I can't even remember now!!  There were two more things and, honestly, he said it with a straight face!!  Tomorrow it's my turn to present my case!!