Easter's on it's Way!

Just a couple of little Easter cards I whipped

up over the past day or so.

I am really enjoying making my own rosettes

and think one of the best videos

on how to make them is by Meg from Archivers.

I love this fun paper from Kaisercraft.  It's from the

'Bubblegum Hills' Collection and has some great ways it

can be cut apart for card makers.

All the stamps are from Hampton Arts.

Here is another version, but this time, I stamped

white cardstock in alternating pink and green inks

using this lace doily from Hero Arts.

I then placed it on top of aNOTHer stamped lace

doily, which was white embossed.

This fun Easter DP is from The Paper Company.

I had to break out a Martha punch for the heart

border, just for something a little different.

I love the sketch which is from Hero Arts

and Paige from CARDS is looking for Easter

projects this week, so will share these with her.

Hope you have had a lovely weekend.

There are storms brewing headed towards

Northern Illinois, so not sure how my weekend

will end, but I am sure all will be well.

OH....thought I would share our newest house guest

with you!  Paul added to my ever-growing collection

of rabbits...not just stuffed, but of many forms, but

Hazel is on a whole new dimension....

She is a 4-ft beauty and all decked out!

So I guess my weekend is ending quite nicely....

'Hippity Hop' Project Recipe:

Designer Paper: Kaisercraft 'Bubblegum Hills'
Stamps:  Hampton Arts 
Tools:  Martha Stewart 'eyelet lace' border punch
Embellishments: designer brad by Making Memories

'Lacey Easter' Project Recipe:

Designer Paper:  The Paper Company Studio,
My Mind's Eye 'So Contrary'
Stamps: Hero Arts 'Butterflies & Lace', Hampton Arts
Tools:  Martha Stewart 'eyelet lace' & 'heart to heart' border punch
Embellishments: designer brad by Making Memories

Life IS Beautiful....

Technically, this makes two posts in one day

but the first one went on just after midnight.

I have been so inspired by Sarah's colors over

at The Play Date Cafe.

Here we are in the midst of autumn and yet

working with these soft tones has really been lovely.

It's been a blast pulling out a lot of the new things

I bought on my recent birthday trip to Archivers.

Starting with the base paper from My Mind's Eye.

The top panel is a die cut from Bo Bunny's

'Mama-Razzi' set.   Embellishing this layer

 was not difficult because of

the wonderful colors already offered.

The butterfly image is from Memory Box Stamps.

I inked it in a variety of shades until I got what

I wanted (which was debatable at the time!)

Before clustering those stunning

Prima 'Madrigal Blossoms',

I 'wrapped' it in 'Cappucino' twine

from The Twinery.

Hope you enjoyed it....

Now off to get my to-do list done!

A Prize and Sharing Some Shopping!

First things first.

My sincere apologies with being so tardy with

the giveaway from my week of GIU.

Many of you know that I was away for a few

days celebrating my birthday

(more on that next)

and last week just flew by with a multitude

of creative deadlines & life as I know it.

Thank you to all who visited during GIU

and I hope you will continue to peek 

inside The Open Window.

Without further delay

congratulations to my birthday twin

StampinCathy!

Cathy...get in touch with me at julieranae@hotmail.com

because you have a choice between 4 different sets from Unity!

Now on a loooong personal note....

I thought I would share a little of my birthday shopping

with you.  Some of these things you have already

seen in action as I have 'broken them open' 

and played...and posted...and played some more!

This is the front of the fab Hilton Garden Inn.

The trees are already turning up in Central Wisconsin

which is always a bonus having a birthday in September.

I hinted on Facebook often about just how close

I was to Archivers...and here is the proof...

Just to the left, you see the back courtyard of our hotel

and what's that I see just a few steps away?

So yes, I was very fortunate to spend most of my

Sunday in the workroom, playing and shopping.

Paul watched football, then came down to see

what I was up to, treated me to coffee at Starbucks

(also next door...I know!).

Here's where I share a funny side story....

Paul noticed that our keycard was not locking the

door properly in our room while I was away.

Can you see it coming?

I decided to take a break to go get my camera,

got to the room to find it completely empty.

Everything was gone.

A trip to the front desk proved that they indeed

had moved us, and apparently I kept passing

Paul in the elevator.  By the time I found him,

he was in Archivers looking for me.

By the way...we were upgraded for the inconvenience

to a beautiful 4 room sweet with a whirlpool bath.

So our second night there was quite a lovely surprise.

There was a nice little make 'n take that day...

It was Tim Holtz weekend there and with a

$30 purchase, you got an Archivers tote

designed by Tim.

Oh!  Speaking of surprises....

When we arrived at the hotel on Saturday afternoon,

the hotel clerk informed me that there was a 

gift card waiting for me over at Archivers from Sarah.

My dear bestie from England made 2 phone calls

to get it arranged...Bless her heart!

She only knew the details because I had

shared them here with you.

It made me a little 'teary' to know that I have a

friend who would think to do all that to

make it happen....so what did I get?

Here's the tour.....

Sarah wanted to make sure that I got that Tim Holtz bag!

I also received two wonderful packages by mail from

my dear friends Savannah & Michele.  Michele sent

me this fabulous Martha punch and Sav sent the rest...

All were such lovely surprises!

I have the best husband!

I used to own my own store and spent 12-14 hours a day

there, he thought I would never want to spend time

the way I did that day.  When that was my request,

he made it happen and even 'indulged' me.

Two more little photos....

This is my favorite thoroughfare through Madison.

We go up there once or twice a month.

We spend so much time on this road getting to our

favorite places.  I love how the changes in color

make this a lovely drive.

And finally.....my family treating me to Red Robin...yum!

From top L:  my son Alex (22), Alex jr (2) & his mom Jayme

CJ (7), Mallory (CJ & Caleb's mom) (26), Caleb (5),

myself and Paul.

(I love little Caleb peeking over his mom's shoulder)

Thanks so much for spending some major time with me!

I appreciated all of the birthday wishes that came my way.

It made turning 50 that much sweeter...

Nothing Like a Challenge on World Card Making Day!

Happy World Card Making Day!

I think today is going to be a fun day all

across blog land as so many paper crafters are

taking part in sharing their creations.

I actually am sharing this card with a few challenges.

Taylored Expressions

Sketch Challenge #130

Wee Memories Scrappy Saturday Challenge

'CAS or Tags'

Unity Stamps/SCS
'Handmade Flower Embellishments'

The City Crafter Challenge

'Flowers and Frills'

and here is my offering...

I absolutely LoVe these new papers from BasicGrey.

The 'Jovial' Collection.  Both the background and

flower were created from this set.

Check out this little collection...

 I made these in the workroom of Archivers when I spent

the day there last Sunday.  They're made from the

'Tattered Blooms' die cut from Tim Holtz/Sizzix.

The sentiment is from one of my faves...Unity!

It's not as easy to tell from the photo, but the flower

is 3-D and each petal is pulled 'up' for a layered effect.
Add a little Prima 'bling, and beautiful brads also
from BasicGrey and you are set!

Short and sweet...hope you enjoyed it!

If you did, won't you please leave a little comment

before you go?  I LoVe to hear from you.

I will actually be back a little later with another

post.  I have a batch of birthday shopping photos

to share from my trip to Archivers

and

I am late with a giveway from last week's

Growing in Unity.

Enjoy World Card Making Day

and I will see you a little bit later!

Birthday Hopping with Ippity!

It's H{ippity} Hop Monday

and I am coming to you from the Hilton Garden Inn

in beautiful Middleton, Wisconsin.

I LoVe the internet!

I spent seven whole hours....

creating...shopping...chatting...shopping...playing

and shopping at Archiver's today.

I will share more on my little excursion on Tuesday,

but here is a little photo that Paul snapped after I finished

the project for this post...

Now...back to The H{ippity} Hop!

For a complete list of the other talented

folks who are 'hopping' with me, click here

for a direct line to the Ippity Blog.

I really enjoyed making the 'elements' for this card.

I pulled out the 'Tattered Flowers' die from Sizzix/Tim Holtz and

started making a whole bunch of blooms.

These particular ones were created by using VersaMagic inks

in a variety of colors...just layered one on top of the other

to 'build' the color.  I then stamped each one with 

Ippity's 'A Bit of Burlap' stamp.

I then shaded the edges using Distress Inks and VersaMagic.

I then stamped this fun journaling image from

Ippity's 'Fall for You' set.

Placed the blooms randomly, added a few pearls,

shading around the borders and done.

If you have not tried Ippity stamps yet or have and do

not own the above images yet,

this week is a great time to add them.

It's time for the Ippity Double Deal!

Purchase 'Fall for You' for only $24 and get

'A Bit of Burlap' for only $3 and

free shipping for both!

I have them in stock and ready to send.

I accept PayPal and money orders

from USPS & Walmart.

Just email me at julieranae@hotmail.com

with your request.

Of course, you can order all your Ippity from me

and let me be your 'Ippity Chick'!

Click here to see the newest images I have available

and click here to see the others I have in stock.

Thanks to Maria at Ippity for choosing not only my

turquoise snowman card from last week's GIU,

but also the creations of fellow PDCC teammates,

Savannah & Suzanne as her Sunday faves!

Click here and check them all out!

Thanks for popping by!

Celebrating the First 50 Years...

What a day!!!

It is indeed a milestone birthday for me.

Thank you all for the birthday wishes that I have

been receiving over the past few days.

It has definitely been a time to contemplate the question

'how did this number come so quickly'?

I was thinking about it earlier today that 10 years

ago, there were a few celebrations for my

40th because at that time, I still had my store open

and between a variety of stamp clubs, regular customers

and other surprises, it was an easy time to celebrate.

Here I am 10 years later...10 years older...

with a whole new batch of friends from virtually

all over the world...thanks to your visits to

Julie's Open Window.

How will I be celebrating?

I enjoyed a lovely dinner with parents last night

and will be having a fun dinner out with my children

and 3 grandchildren tonight.

On Saturday, Paul and I will be heading up to Madison, WI

for a couple of days and staying at the Hilton Garden Inn

which is 'literally' attached to ... wait for it ...
an Archiver's Store!
So over the weekend, I am going to spend an afternoon
using their workroom to have a little creative time.
Paul is going to bring the laptop and some movies
and have a little relax time.

I have the best husband!

As a little tribute to him, I created a card that
shares my heart towards my dear Paul...

Today is my last day hosting

It has been such a terrific week!
For my last 'official' post for Unity,
I thought I would share 3 different projects
using their newest stamps called

'Itty Bitty'

 Most of you know that I am not one to do a lot
of coloring, but these stamps make it so easy!
This set is called 'Rain or Shine'.
I used my Paisley EF from Cuttlebug for the base card.
I have been waiting for just the right project to use these
sweet blue rhinestones.  When I bought them, I had always
envisioned using them as raindrops.

Another fun set is 'Sit.Eat.Enjoy'
What a great little set for all sorts of invites.
I called on my Swiss Dot EF this time.
Labels One from Spellbinders create a nice frame
and I pulled out some really old designer paper for
the faux tablecloth.  That's my BOO for this week!

 My final project is a little something for the holidays.

 This is 'Merry & Bright'
Lots of possibilities...lots of fun!

Have you seen Unity's 'Itty Bitty' stamps yet?

Now you have!

So how would you like an opportunity to
win a set of Unity stamps?
All you have to do is leave a comment on each of my
GIU posts for this week (M-F).  That's it.
You will have through Sunday to do so.
On Monday, when I return home from the weekend,
I will randomly draw one winner from the comments left
and announce it here on my blog.

Thank you for joining me this week for 'Growing in Unity'.
I've had an absolute blast!

Sharing Some Fabulous News With You

Great response to the Wednesday Favorites feature, so you can put that on your creative calendar. I have already received a batch of "you should take a look at these" from many of you, so look for one of your favorites in the coming weeks.

Today's post will be a quick one for now but I thought it would be fun to share a few of the papers I am currently working with. They are from Prima, part of their Vintage Nursery Rhyme collection. I bought the 'motherload' set, which include flocked and embossed papers, sparkly papers, all with beautiful muted tones. I made the flower last night and when I get this project done, I will share it here.

Change of subject....
You may remember reading in a post a couple of weeks ago about Paul and I spending the day in the Chicago suburbs. The part you probably remember most is that I spent the morning at Archivers, and why wouldn't you?! But the main reason for our little journey was because Paul had been asked to speak to district management about his next step with the company. I am happy to share with you that he did not have to wait very long to hear back on the next step in his career with Barnes & Noble and I can now proudly say that as of August 2nd, he will be the new assistant store manager here in Rockford. He has been a merchandising manager for nearly a year and this is just the next step.

The biggest question we were dealing with was where would we be willing to relocate if the need were in another store. So we are happy that we do not have to make that decision for right now. Thank you to those who have asked along the way if we had heard any news. One of the things that I love about this blog is getting to know one another enough to have an interest in someone else's life and to celebrate during the good times. This is one for my family so I am glad I have you to help me celebrate! What's going on for you that we can share?

Is it Really Summer?

Many Northern Illinoisans are asking themselves that very question...it's only 61 degrees here...and it's rainy...and there are supposed to be thunderstorms coming, but at that temp, I don't know how.

So my trip to the Chicago suburbs yesterday was a nice day out. I spent time at the Archivers store and managed to get quite a bit of work done on some projects for my Etsy store. Of course, the first hour was spent shopping. I managed to come home with lots of decorative papers, some Bazzill Basics cardstock, althought the store informed me that they will not be stocking that brand any longer, but she couldn't tell me what brand they would have in the future. I also brought home a bunch of new clear stamps, a Penny Black wood-mount Christmas Ornament stamp that I got for 75% off and some storage solutions for my clear stamps. So all in all, a very good day!

As for Paul's interview, time will tell. But for now he is happy being a merchandising manager for Barnes & Noble. He's a book hound, so he makes a great bookseller.

So how has your day been? I have been multi-tasking today. I am working on getting some of those stamps organized in my new cases, working on cards for Etsy and taking care of basic household chores. Do you find it difficult to balance your creative time with everyday life? I would encourage you to take what time you can, even if it's just a little bit and do something creative. I would love to hear what you did today!

Away for the Day

Thought I would post a quick note to you tonight as I will be away from home for a better part of the day on Tuesday. My husband Paul has to go into the Chicago 'burbs' to talk with management regarding a major promotion, so I am going to tag along.

Actually, I will be spending my morning at the Archiver's Store using their workroom to catch up on some little projects. We do not have that store in our area, so I always like to stop when there is one on my travels. If you've never been to Archiver's, it's a paradise for stampers and scrapbookers. My favorite purchase is always Bazzill Basics cardstock and background papers, so when I get home late tomorrow afternoon, I will share with the class the treasures I find.

Before I forget....I opened my Etsy store today! YAY! So I hope you will click on the link at the left and take a look at the cards for sale. Many of them have been favorites on this blog, so now would be your opportunity to get one for yourself....and if you would, please let your friends know, too. I would soooo appreciate it!

Hope you have a great day....OH! The photo for today is just to inspire you to be creative. Those cards were produced over the course of time using a variety of techniques. Maybe today would be a good day to pick your favorite technique and run with it!