Heart 2 Heart Challenge

This week at Heart 2 Heart, we are challenging you to create a child's birthday card.  My niece's golden 8th birthday is coming up, so I wanted to create something special to tie on her gift bag.

I created the card base, flowers, cupcake, and number using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.  Did you know you can order yours today?  Oh, with 700 images, it is just so awesome!  If you are a Cricut user, I guarantee this is a must have.  The bundle consists of the Cricut cartridge, 3 matching stamp sets, and 3 sheets of matching dimensional elements.  So you can die cut an image and stamp over it perfectly with our beautiful clear stamps.  What a great idea, huh?!

Ok, back to the challenge - I could talk to you about this cartridge all day long!  LOL!!  At Heart 2 Heart you need to use CTMH product when you play.  Challenges are given on Monday, and you have all month long to submit them.  Our sponsor ths month is Melinda Everett with a great prize package.  Check out the post at Heart 2 Heart - there is B-E-A-utiful inspiration for you!

What a Nice Hubby!

It is HOT here today.  Rainforest hot.  The temperature is 99 degrees right now, and the humidity is in the high 70's.  Needless to say, it's an indoor day for me, and I'll be crafting this afternoon.

Not for my husband, though!  He went out fishing for a few hours this morning.  That, I tell you, is a true fisherman!  He brought me back a surprise from the lake knowing these are one of my favorites:

The large one is bigger than my hand!  Aren't they the most beautiful water lilies you've ever seen?  While I was taking pictures, I found this sweet little butterfly hanging around my flowers:

God gives us such wonderful gifts to enjoy every single day!

Happy Birthday

I made a birthday card for my nephew this morning.  I am really proud of myself because his birthday is on Sunday.  It will arrive to him a couple of days early - yippee!!  Now this may sound strange, but I am notoriously late with cards and gifts.  I don't mean to be, but time always seems to slip away, and there I am hurrying at the last minute again.  So you can see why this is an accomplishment!

I used the CTMH Fanfare papers for this card.  My nephew plays baseball in the summer, so I wanted to get a baseball in there.  I found one on my Slice Big Kids card.  I cut it on some of the patterned paper and then adhered it to a white circle.  Of course, I had to sponge it all with desert sand ink to make it look dusty from a ball field!  The ribbon is from the Black Mini Medleys collection, and the stamp is from Happy Birthday (a discontinued set).

I took a look around the yard and everything is so green.  I guess after all the rainy weather we've been having, it should be!  I wanted to show you pictures of a few of my favorite blooming flowers.  The first is a bearded iris.  It has propagated by someone in this area, so it has the most wonderful smell!  I always cut these and bring them in.

And where would be without lilacs?  This is Jerry's favorite fragrance, so when they are in bloom like this, I bring fresh ones in every day.  I should tell you that this is just the end of one of my lilac bushes.  I have a row of 12 that are in full bloom!  When these are done, it won't be long before my white Japanse lilac tree blooms.  That is an amazing smell!

Now if I had to pick the most unique flower in my yard, it would be the trillium.  I planted the first one 9 years ago, and jsut last year it started to spread.  It actually grows new plants, so I guess it took some time.  This is a gorgeous flower, don't you think?

I've been working on a 3x3 card class, too, so when that is done I'll post pictures and give you the details!

Better Living Through Scrapbooking Reveal & A Winner!

What is your favorite color?  That's the challenge at Better Living Through Scrapbooking this week - show us your favorite color!  Here are the details...


Create a layout dedicated to your favorite color.
Choose at least 2 of the following:

1. Journal on the layout as if you are speaking directly to your favorite color, and tell it why you love it, and what it means to you.
2. Take a photo of something you love that is in your favorite color, and use it on your layout.
3. Use rounded corners somewhere on your layout.
4. Create hand-doodling somewhere on your page.
5. Make the name of your favorite color a prominent part of your title.

Hmmm…my favorite color. I know what my favorite color is, but I wanted to show you something vibrant, something bright. Wouldn’t you love to see bright pink, maybe a purple, or sunshine yellow? However, the truth of the matter is that I love brown. All things brown – no matter what shade – make me feel peaceful inside. So I am bringing you a layout that is somewhat (ok, extrememly) unconventional for me, but definitely highlights brown!

Plaid is one of our sponsors this month, so I wanted to show several different ways to use paint on a layout. The base sheet is a kraft cardstock, and I painted the edges. If you look closely, you’ll see that I also stamped a splatter stamp on my base and on the corrugated cardstock. I stamped with paint. It gives my layout just a little more texture, I think. That huge leaf is actually a stencil. After painting it, I put some dimensional magic here and there to give it some shine. Do you see the interesting bits and pieces on my layout? How fun are they? They are from another one of our monthly sponsors, Gauche Alchemy, and I am crazy about all these types of embellishments! I used old book pages and a simplicity pattern to make the flowers.

I sprayed the book pages (and the tickets) with Coffee Shop glimmer mist. Once I created the darker flowers, I randomly applied dimensional glaze and some antique bronze stickles. I aged the simplicity pattern flower with chestnut roan ink. Using Norma Kennedy stamps (yet another fabulous sponsor!), I created the journal spot and stamped on the lace. I have to tell you, the black lace is what wrapped my Gauche Alchemy package! How pretty is that!! I’ve used two options this week on my layout . First, I rounded the corners on the journaling tag and secondly, I used the name of my favorite color in my title on that journaling tag.


Plaid Products: Apple Barrel Burnt Umber Paint, Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, Fresh Foliage Stencil, Spouncer, All Night Media Splatter Stamp
Gauche Alchemy Products: Ouchless Cardboard, Book Pages, Simplicity Pattern, Pin, Tickets, Lace
Norma Kennedy Stamps: My Favorite Things
Discount Cardstock: Kraft 12×12
Other: Fancy Pants Buttons, Colorbox Chestnut Roan, Tattered Angels Coffee Shop Glimmer Mist, Ranger Antique Bronze Distress Stickles

Go ahead and give it a try!  We'd love to have you join us!  Check my right sidebar for the monthly sponsors and prizes!!


And now for the winner of last week's blog hop prize!  Through random generator, the winner is:

Kim said...

I love your new blog colors! This photo of you and Jerry is precious! You know how I simply adore your style!!!!This layout is just another gorgeous example of your wonder and talent!!!!
Those flowers are scrummy, I must get that die!!!!
Blessings,
Kim xXx
September 26, 2010 8:21 AM

 
I will get that prize in the mail to you tomorrow Kim!  I know you are going to do amazing things with all the goodies!

A Bouquet from My Yard to You

The Wisteria on my trellis is in full bloom, and I want to share it with you. It's just so lovely and such a huge blessing that I can't possibly keep it to myself!

The thing that is interesting about Wisteria is that it is not supposed to grow well or bloom in the northern states. The green house warned me that it would only be something "green" for my front trellis, but nothing more. Oh gracious, were they wrong! From the first year I have been overjoyed to find big, wonderful blooms droop from the trellis. The vine itself has grown on to the house and grabs on to anything near. It loves the beautiful south sun and front of the house.

After the Wisteria are done, I will peek a little more closely. I am quite certain there is a nest in the trellis again this year. What a perfect dwelling for new baby birds!