Pink and Green B'day

Another birthday coming up this week - my cousin Barbara. She is having her knee replaced tomorrow (the second one) so send some good vibes for her. Her birthday is July 1st. I won't be seeing her until she comes home later this week. She did remarkably well the first time, just six months ago, and I'm hoping (as I know everyone who knows her is) that she will have as easy a recovery this time. Pink and green are the theme for this card.

I used some Spring Fling paper and the dahlia fold to make the center flower. The polka-dotted circle is from the prints pack. The scallop for the polka dot circle is made using the technique I posted here. The larger scallop was made with my 1/2" circle punch and lots of them little suckers adhered to the back of the circle.


As you can see in the middle picture, the Pretty in Pink circle is actually a card itself.

I wanted to show you the last picture although it may not be too clear. When I was stamping the sentiment inside (I know, I said I would try to be better about this) I wobbled the stamp and thus, I was left with an unwanted line above the words. What I did to camouflage this mistake was to take my Certainly Celery marker, and using the thin end, added some doodles to the line and more doodles around the sentiment to make it look like they were supposed to be there. Now you can't do this for every image, but it worked here. Because of the close-up the lettering looks a little blurry, but it can be read all right.

So if you're into card recipes here ya go:

Stamps: All Holidays
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Prints Pack, Spring Fling
Ink: Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose
Accessories: Mat Pack, Needle tool, Round Fire brads, Pink taffeta ribbon, scallop punch, 1 3/8" and 1/2" circle punches, sponge daubers, coluzzle

The edges of the card were sponged with Certainly Celery and the edges of the pink card were sponged with Pretty in Pink though the picture looks washed out.

4th of July Bags and Bottles

Can I tell you how frustrated I am right now! I got a new computer this week. Good thing. I have spent much time getting "acquainted" with it. Not such a good thing. It has just taken me 4 hrs. to figure out how to upload, store, and retrieve pictures on this computer. Now, don't get me wrong - I am thrilled to have it as my old one is definitely a dinosaur and heading towards extinction. It's the operating system I'm not familiar with (Windows VISTA). There are all kinds of added steps in doing all this - kind of going faster backwards.

Anyway - kvetching over, let me tell you about these two projects. The first project is a box in a bag that I found the instructions for on Splitcoast. I thought they were just too cute and decided to use up some of the scrapbook paper that I have stashed. The flag paper was purchased at Mike's several years ago and hidden away to be used for ............ this! Now, you may not be able to tell from the picture, but the bag is about 5" tall and the base is 3" square. So I need some ideas as to what to put in them. What do you think would be appropriate to put in them for the 4th of July?

The second picture I actually found by accident while I was trying to figure out my camera/computer compatability. These were something that I threw together last year. They're made with those little sample jelly jars and decorated with red, white, and blue, whatever I had on hand. They have jellybeans in patriotic colors in them. I did use the Big Pieces stamp set (which will be retiring) for the lids of the jars.

So, if you do think of something neat that I can put in these bags, please leave a comment or e-mail me. Thanks for looking!!!

INKredible Color Challenge 6/23

First, let me point out that there are 3 new posts for today. Yes, I've been busy trying to catch up. I actually got tagged by someone - or rather my blog was tagged. I scrambled to make some quick thank you's. And I've been busy with this week's color challenge (Certainly Celery, Elegant Eggplant, and Orchid Opulence). I started messing around with this technique on Sunday and wasn't liking how it came out, but decided to plug on with it and I'm pretty pleased with the results. I have a special person in mind for this card. Someone who is celebrating their birthday today as a matter of fact, and likes purple, and is my.......... too many clues. But of course, she will be getting it belatedly - SORRY!!!!!

If you notice - or I should point out - well maybe you're new here, but it seems that I have a "problem" adding sentiments to the front of cards. Well, not a problem exactly, I guess I have a block about it. I will try in the future to be more "openly sentimental" - but don't hold me to it!!!!

OMG, why is this so big - I took this close up to try to show you that I rolled the edges of the flower in Elegant Eggplant and then gave the whole flower a coating of CE to make it pop a little more. That brad is purple not pink BTW.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Fabulous Flowers
Paper: Certainly Celery, Elegant Eggplant, Orchid Opulence, Whisper White
Ink: Certainly Celery, Elegant Eggplant, Orchid Opulence, VersaMark
Accessories: Brayer, Clear EP, Round Ice Brad, 5/8 Cert. Celery grosgrain, 1/4" Elegant Eggplant grosgrain, CE

There are only 3 colors used on this card (not counting the white background). You will notice that there are many different variations of the colors. This has to do with what is used to stamp them with and what is used to stamp them on. For instance, the flower embellishment is stamped in ink the same color as the paper which gives it a deeper hue. The leaves on the flower are colored with marker over paper the same color, giving it more variation (or a subtle attempt at texture). The little spider-like flowers that you see in the white areas are stamped both full strength and stamped off once - giving it the appearance of more tones of the same color.

The technique used on this card is called Emerging Color. The white paper is stamped with the colorful flower images first. Then dusted with the embossing buddy. The large blossom is then stamped in VersaMark over the colored flowers and embossed with clear embossing powder. Then you need to use your brayer and the darkest color to roll over the whole thing. Wipe away the excess ink off of the embossed image and this is what you get. You can find a great tutorial here on Splitcoast.

Please make sure to check out the other challenge submissions by Stasia , Colleen, and Debbie.

Cool Thank You's

Okay, so when your daughter calls you up on a Friday evening and asks if you can make her 10 thank you's for Monday what do you do? I just so happened to have 10 thank you's that I was going to use for those end-of-year gifts I got at work, but I decided that since hers were going to be for all adults and mine were for mostly children that I would hand them over and make something for the kids. These came together in no time only because I accidentally found my stash of popsicle sticks a couple of days ago - otherwise you would be seeing something else here.

What's good about these is that you can get 4 of them out of an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper, however, you will need extra postage if you tie a bow on the stick - which I thought was necessary of course. You also have to write your message on the white insert before you adhere it over the stick or you'll have some really bumpy handwriting.

I have seen numerous posts of these on Splitcoast and I don't know who to give the credit to - just know that they are not my original idea.

Recipe:

Stamps: Tart & Tangy, Fresh Cuts

Paper: Pumpkin Pie, YoYo Yellow, Gable Green, Whisper White

Ink: Pumpkin Pie

Accessories: Popsicle stick, White 1/4" grosgrain, scallop, 1 1/4, and 1 3/8 circle punches, white gel pen

BTW - I sent them off in regular business size envies that I stamped with more orange slices. Cool eh!!!!

I've Been Tagged

Yup, I have been tagged! Kim, of Stamp, scrap, get kreative has double-tagged me.

The rules of game 1: Each player answers questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

So here are my answers to Tag 1:

Ten Years Ago: I was working as a substitute teacher and running the Summer Enrichment Program. Chris was entering his senior year and Rachel her sophomore year - both at SHS. That summer was going to be the start of a very emotional year for the family.

Five things in today’s ‘to do’ list (in addition to stamping ):
1. Call my Aunt Lucille in Washington state to wish her a happy 87th birthday.
2. Call my upline to wish her a happy birthday.
3. Finish reading the first book in the Tea Shop Mystery series.
4. Start looking for the dead mouse in the den (don't ask)
5. Plan my next 5 days off!!!

Snacks I enjoy: Fruit, nuts, ice cream, potato chips (shall I go on??)

Things I would do if I was a millionaire: Start my own business - a Tea Shop with a gift area, have my yard landscaped (with a fence to keep out trolls), build a studio for me and a workshop for my husband, start a scholarship of some kind

Places I have lived: In New Jersey all my life


This is Tag #2:

7 Random or Weird Facts About Me

1. I collect and repurpose bowling balls
2. I am the first born of a first born of a first born of a first born - all first born girls
3. One of my pupils is larger than the other
4. I can drive a car with a stick shift but not the garden tractor
5. I hand-fed (raised) a clutch of baby cockatiels
6. Of my husband, my son, my daughter, and myself, I am the only one whose birthday is not in the winter yet we all celebrate within 3 months of each other
7. I actually find pulling weeds therapeutic

Now for who's IT: I chose these five blogs - they're an eclectic group who have visited me here and you'll find wisdom, creativity, and humor in them - check em' out!!!

A Little Ray of Sunshine
Polka Dot Pineapple
Heart Hugs
A Latte Stampin
Life is Good

Scissor Holder Make-over

I like birds but this scissor holder is really out-of-date. It's been waiting for me to come and update (and get it and the scissors off the counter again). So I dug through some DSP scraps and came up with this make-over.

So what do you think? I think it's a definite improvement. Now HWNSNBP will once again be able to find those household scissors. And just in time for recycling day!

Newlywed Survival Kit

My daughter Rachel's friend Leah's brother is getting married and Leah is in the wedding party. When Rachel and Leah were in their friend Emily's wedding I made Emily a Newlywed Survival Kit for her bridal shower. Leah asked me to do the same for her brother so take a look at this mess...............

What you have here are the ingredients for the kit in no particular order, and what they stand for:

Lollipops - To help you lick your problems, no matter how many there may be
A Rubberband - To help you to remember to be flexible in all things
A Snickers Bar - To remind you that laughter IS the best medicine
A Paper Clip - To help you hold it all together when it seems like it’s falling apart
A Stick of Gum - To remind you to stick together
A Pin - To help you pinpoint your problems. The better to solve them!
A Piece of String - To help you tie-up those loose ends
Lifesavers - To keep you from drowning in everyday problems
Lemon Drops - To remind you that When Life Gives You Lemons Make Lemonade
A Penny - To give you the extra cents (sense) everyone needs to know which battles are worth fighting and which are better ignored
Candy Kisses - To share with each other and to say I LoveYou in a sweet way
A Button - To remind you that sometimes you will need to button your lip
Tootsie Rolls - To help you remember to roll with the punches
Mints - To remind you that you are worth a Mint to each other
Puzzle Pieces - To remind you that you are an important part in making each other’s lives complete
An Eraser - To remind you to be forgiving as everyone makes mistakes
Chapstick - To keep your lips Kissable
Confetti - To remind you to always add sparkle to your lives
Toothpicks - To remind you to always pick out the good in your mate
Tissues - To wipe away the tears you’ll share of joy and sadness
Nuts - To remind you to get a little Nutty now and then
A Smooth Stone - To remind you that there will be rough times ahead but smoother tomorrows
A Gift Certificate - To use for something you didn’t get at your shower that you really can use

I take an empty paint can (available at Home Depot) and decorate the outside. On the inside of the lid, I attach a very long ribbon. The ingredients listed above are each placed in a small zip lock bag (you can get 2 x 3 inch ones at the craft store) and have a tag to go along with it. The bags and tags are tied to the ribbon every 6 inches or so. (I know, I should have taken a picture of it - but remember my initials LM (Last Minute)!!!). Anyhoo, an inexpensive hammer and screwdriver are given with the can. When the bride opens the can and lifts the lid, the contents are all attached to the center ribbon and can be read one-by-one. At the end, I usually put a gift certificate, but you don't have to.

Pay no attention to the surrounding clutter - here you have the finished product.

Gifts of Talent

My upline Debbie is such a sweetie. When we went to Spring Fling (back in May) she gave us all a personalized notebook. Isn't it great!! I'll let you in on a little secret that I'm sure she won't mind me telling - she used SU's beautiful Afternoon Tea DSP and flowers from the Pretties Kit to embellish a notebook from the dollar bin at Michael's (and the beautiful pearl initial is from the dollar bin also)!!!! I think it's absolutely brilliant. (P.S. I've already CASEd it for Carol's Birthday and forgot to take a picture of that one, but I'll be making more.)

She also dropped by school the other day with the cutest gift card holders for the teachers (and secretaries - of which I'm one, yeah!). It's made from a long notes envelope! And of course, it's decorated to the nines. I know she nows how much I appreciate a handmade card - thanks Deb for sharing your talent.

Bluebird Update - Sorry no pics

I just wanted to report - for those of you who have been following my bluebird posts - that the babies fledged earlier this week. We saw mom and dad feeding them Monday morning but when we got home from work they were conspicuously absent. The nest was empty. They were ready to go and hopefully they will come back and visit from time to time.

We have heard them in the trees in the neighboring yards but haven't seen them yet. The old nest has been removed. Hopefully in a week or so, mom and dad will be feeling frisky again and bless us with a new nest and babies. I know we may seem like nuts - but please look at this as a good thing.

Sadly though, in our local newspaper yesterday there was an article about a bluebird trail at an elementary school in a neighboring town that had been vandalized. My heart broke as I read that some person(s) put golf balls in the entrance hole of two bluebird boxes that had babies and essentially killed them. I would like to think that this was done by children who didn't realize that there were babies in there. I would like to hope that their parents and all parents read this newspaper article and share this with their children and they learn that this is a very bad thing.

I wish that the article contained information on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act that states that this is a punishable offense of 6 months in jail or up to $15,000. The Department of Fish and Game is responsible for enforcing this law, and again, sadly, they seldom are able to find the offenders and when they do the fine is often in the range of $500. Still, I would like to see this published in the newspaper in the hope that, again, parents will share it, teachers will share it, and maybe, just maybe (being the Pollyanna that I am sometimes apt to be) hope that it will at least put some fear into the heads of these and future vandals. Now, I will get off my soapbox. (Just a note - I checked the website of the paper and another person has already posted this information about the MBTA. Maybe in their follow-up, the paper will add this.)
Oh, I forgot - while it is okay to remove an old nest, it is illegal to keep them without a permit according to the MBTA that is linked above.

Father's Day + INKredible Color Challenge 6/15

Happy Father's Day He Whose Name Shall Not Be Published (I think I'm going to put that in my list of abbreviations - HWNSNBP). We had a lovely evening last night with Rachel, Chris & Sunshine at the Chimney Rock Inn. It was so good to be together to laugh and share family stories - mostly about when the kids were younger. It couldn't have come at a better time. Today we will be shopping for an air-conditioner - okay, for those of you who know me I've caved - but...... I still don't want something in the window blowing on my head all night so we'll be looking for one of the free-standing ones.

I intended to work on the color challenge for the week when we got home and since I didn't already have a Father's Day card done, decided to combine the two. The little picture is showing how I punched 1/4" squares of Old Olive, ran my OO marker around the edges and after I adhered them to the card, coated them with Crystal Effects to look like brads. I colored white grosgrain with my Summer Sun marker to get it to match.

Here's the recipe:

Stamps: Canvas, All Holidays

Paper: Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Summer Sun

Ink: Old Olive Ink and Marker, Summer Sun Marker

Accessories: White 1/4" grosgrain, Hodgepodge Brads, 1/4" square punch

More Blues

I can't help but get excited about these babies which is why there are so many pics. If you're here strictly for the crafts - scroll on through.

Look closely at the last picture. Mr. Blue is on the fence while Mrs. Blue is just above in the distance. Didn't see that through the lens!

I was so content to be up in the garden taking these pictures. Grateful to be so close - then a troll appeared and ruined the rest of the evening for me. This troll actually thinks that I would publish pictures of his habitat, but I wouldn't waste my time. Enough said.

CASEd Thank You

I was perusing the gallery entries on Splitcoast the other day and came across this card by Mercedes Weber. I hope she doesn't mind that I CASEd it - I did make it larger and added the ribbon element, but it is basically her card. I really liked the color combination and I was looking to make some quick and easy thank you's for the end of the school year. 3 x 3's aren't mailable which is why I made the card bigger, and the ribbon element lies flat and doesn't make much of a bump so I believe it will only need normal 42 cent postage. I recently got my new SU stamp set - Fresh Cuts - and things just fell into place. So I will whip up a couple more of these and have them with me at school to fill out and get right in the mail. Thanks Mercedes!

Recipe:
Stamps - Fresh Cuts
Paper - Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink - Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, Real Red
Accessories - Key tag punch, 5/8" Real Red Grosgrain

Blue(birds) and Green(pool)

This picture is fuzzy and I apologize for that, but I was rushed by the ladder holder. Aren't they pretty. You can see their blue coloring now. Remember that these are Eastern Bluebirds not Blue Jays. I have no idea what a baby jay would look like, but I'm pretty sure that the parents would not tolerate picture taking this close. They should start their jumping and flapping soon, if they haven't already. What does that mean? Well, it's a practice session of sorts. They will stand on those little legs and jump up and down and flap their wings - because, after all, they will have to jump up to the opening to get out. And once they get to that opening, the first three in this case don't stand a chance of not being pushed out and have to fly or flop to the ground. There will be a commotion in the yard when that happens. The parents will go nuts trying to keep an eye on 4 babies that are now spread out in the yard instead of snug in the box. And, most likely, this will not happen when the camera (or photographer) is around. But I'll try to get some more pictures in the next couple of days before they fledge.

Second picture today is of our pool. We replaced our old one with a new one with this cool liner - but realize that it's not green - that's the water. Because we have a well, we can't just let the hose go until it's full. We have to do a little each day, and now, because of the heat wave that we are having, the water is a most iridescent shade of green. Can't wait until he shocks the s......., ummmmmm, green out of it!

Third pic (bet you thought there would only be two because of the title!!!) is of some berries I found growing in our garden. At first I thought that they were wild strawberries, and they are kind of. They are wood strawberries. Which means that while they are not poisonous or anything like that, they also do not have any taste (which is probably why I found them and not the birds!!!).

Fourth pic (I know - you could have done without the last two) is of the blueberry harvest from our garden. This is what the birds/squirrels have not gotten. Yes, there are some green ones still on the bush, but not many more, and if I don't get them first.... well, they will be the feast of some animal.

Thanks for looking - and if you want to post a comment, just click below on Comment. You don't have to have an account or anything to add comments. (Just a little fishing here - I'm nearing 2000 hits on this blog and I'm wondering whether to offer some blog candy or not??)

INKredible Color Challenge 6/9

Yes, yes, I know that it's still 6/8, however, I did manage to get this done today and figured I'd get this posted. There's not much else to do in this heat!!

Anyway, the challenge was to use Close to Cocoa, Handsome Hunter, Old Olive, and River Rock. I was thinking camouflage but that didn't pan out. Then I thought that three of those colors are green - how could I use the fourth color with all that green. Jungles are green, with brown tree trunks and................... well, you already know what because the picture is there......... monkeys. I think that the head, tail and body of this monkey are cute, but the arms and legs are kind of weird, which is why some of them are hiding in the tree. They have self-image issues! The other one is a real swinger and doesn't care what you think of him. Oh dear lord, are people really reading this?

This card will be sent to our USPS mail-lady from work, Carol. She is a sweetheart and we heard last week that she had a fall at work and is home recovering. So inside the card I will print very nicely - "Quit monkeying around and get better" or something like that.

So let's see - I sponged the three greens onto whisper white for the background. I cut the tree trunk and monkeys from Close to Cocoa and swiped my ink pad down it to look like bark (monkeys don't bark, only the trees do - someone stop me now!!). The "leaves" and "bushes" were the various greens scallop punched with the edges highlighted.

And now I will quit monkeying around and say good-night!.

Make sure you check out the challenge entries by Stasia, Colleen, Debbie, and Kelly. You can find them on their blogs listed under Friends and Family in the left margin.

Fruity Birthday Cards

My cousin Kathleen's birthday was this weekend and sadly I forgot until I spoke with her sister Barbara the other night and was reminded in the course of conversation.

Barbara told me that Kathleen has this "fruit thing" going on in her kitchen and the gifts she gave her sister revolved around that theme. I did have a couple of cards that I could have used, but none with fruit, and at first all I could remember was the Tart and Tangy set from the mini that I have been using. This strawberry card was quick and easy.

Then I thought of the Infinite Goodness set that I hadn't used yet. Gave that a go and here is the recipe:

Stamps: Infinite Goodness

Paper: Old Olive, Ruby Red, Brocade Blue, Watercolor
Ink: Basic Gray, Old Olive, Ruby Red, More Mustard, Brocade Blue
Accessories: Aquapainter, 1/4" More Mustard Grosgrain, Perfect Layers Tool, Dimensionals

Garage Sale and SU Rub-Ons

Saturday was the semi-annual garage sale at Kirkside - they have one in October and the other in June, and I try not to miss them because they usually have good stuff. The 50 cent items were the white vases, the chicken and the white doilies. The embroidered napkins were 25 cents for all of them. In the back is a clear paperweight top - I got a box of 12 of these for $2 (a bargain), and the tea cup and saucer is one of 5 matching pairs that was also $2.

My Boxman was with me, and I have to say that he didn't even utter the words "what are you going to do with that?" I think maybe because it was like 90 degrees at 9 a.m. and he wanted me to hurry.
The first thing that I picked up was the embroidered napkins which elated and saddened me at the same time. I've done embroidery and I know that I would be heartbroken to see someone be able to buy my work at such a small price. But as the purchaser, I do know that the value is greater than what I paid and I am appreciative of the work.

The two white vases are essentially blank canvasses. I specifically chose them so that I could use the Stampin' Up rub-ons that I have.

Here you see both before and after photos. The rub-ons that I used were the ones I earned from Sale-abration earlier this year, but if you're interested in something like this, there are others available both in our standard and our mini-catalogs. They adhere to paper, glass, chipboard, ceramics, and metal.

Baby Blues at 1 Week

Look! They have pinfeathers. Not seeing much blue yet. Will check back in a day or so. Mom and Dad are vigorously feeding throughout the day. We just happened to find them asleep.

Procrastination

Looked up the definition - did you know that this word was invented in 1588? I can't image people in that century actually procrastinated!

Meaning: to put off intentionally or habitually - to delay. Yep - that fits. I definitely have got the hang of this.

Where am I going with this? Well, it all started on New Year's Day when my husband dropped a glass salt shaker on my stove top and the glass didn't break................ the enamel stove top chipped. Whereby springs into my head the adage that my father BOB used to say about New Year's Day, "what you do on New Year's Day you will do throughout the year." So, according to BOB you didn't want to do laundry or clean the house or those kind of things. Basically, things that have a negative impact on your life. Does damaging a major appliance (even if it's only the size of a dime) qualify for this - according to Lorraine it does!

So, needless to say, or rather, as "he who doesn't want his name published" would say, I've cursed the family. Mind you - it was he who did the damage, but yet I am reaping the blame for this.

You're still wondering where the procrastination comes in - well, if I started a list of the things that have gone wrong or broke around here since January you wouldn't be surprised. The latest fiasco's (if that's the way you pluralize the word!) are the dryer dying and running the well down. We are replacing our above-ground pool (last week's fiasco) and we have a well. So we have been running the hose for a few hours a day trying not to do what we actually did yesterday - get dirty water. Oh, it's not harmful as long as you don't ingest it, but who wants to shower in less that crystal water???? The dryer breaking was just the icing on the cake.

This morning I had planned to go to a garage sale and then come home and find something pleasant to do (stamp, garden, etc.). Instead, we did go to the sale and wound up going to Sears to purchase a new dryer which, yippee, for only $10 extra can be delivered tomorrow. Most people would be totally happy about that. I, however, am the one that is going to have to clean the laundry room (should I say war zone) so that the old can go and the new can come - and I've been putting it off all day. Let's just add here that it is truly the hottest day of the year so far and I DON'T HAVE CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING!!!!!, and I am still recovering from a sinus infection and bronchitis. Because we have so many trees surrounding the house we manage quite well with window units, but alas, there is no window unit that will reach the laundry room. Oh hell! I should just get it over with.

But you see, since I am so good at this procrastination thing, this is why at 6 p.m. EST I am sitting here posting on my blog and still avoiding going in..... one the other hand, I did manage to straighten out my stamping area a little.

And now, I will procrastinate some more and go get an updated picture of the bluebirds and maybe put a few plants in since it should be getting a little cooler out.

Heartspeak

"When friends are together, hearts speak without words" - that's the sentiment on this diorama card. Someone very close to me is celebrating a birthday soon (I won't say who just yet) and I wanted a very special card. The sentiment and inside image is from the retired SU set Heartspeak which was available for a very short time, and although it wasn't an initial purchase of mine when the catalog came out, I knew I had to have it when it went on the retirement list in December.


Back a few months I had stamped and watercolored a couple of the baskets of flowers and used one for the get well card below. The other was put aside to use another day. The basket of flowers are colored with the same color combos but you can see how the colors of the rest of the card make them look different.

If you would like the recipe for either of these cards, please leave a comment.

Edited 6/8: The recipient is my dear friend Joan. She called this evening to say that she received the card in the mail and to say thanks. Joan and I have been friends since we were in middle school, many, many, years ago. I couldn't get by without our weekly chit-chats on the phone or the various shopping trips (flea markets, $stores, craft stores) that we get together for. She is definitely one of the golden ones!!!!

INKredible Color Challenge 6/1

The color challenge this week was to use Barely Banana and Real Red. I just got my Riot of Petals stamp, along with a couple of others and I was itching to use one of them. Instead of inking the whole background stamp up, I chose one of the flowers and focused on that. I stamped it in Black Stazon on watercolor paper and used my aquapainter to color the image in Real Red. I was aiming for more white towards the center - oh well!

The ovals are cut with the coluzzle out of the Barely Banana cs. I sponged Barely Banana on the edge of the larger one and Real Red on the edges of the smaller one. The card base is scored twice every 1/2 inch and I used my VersaMarker to try to highlight the scoring. You can't see it that well in the picture but IRL it pops more. The scoring gives the card base some texture. I added a bow in Real Red 5/8" grosgrain as the finishing touch.

This is one of those cards that's not going to fit in a normal envelope because of the size. A square one should do it - it's going to need extra postage anyway because of the bow!

A tip for cutting out this image - before you cut the outer edges of the petals, use your craft knife to get at the inside spaces. You get a sturdier base to work with that way and less chance of pulling off one of the petals accidently.

If anyone who uses Blogger can tell me how to keep the paragraph spaces I'd appreciate it. I can't tell you how many times I have been back and forth with the preview and editing to try to get the paragraph breaks to show up. I really am not a bad typist and this is frustrating me!!!!!!!!

Baby Bluebirds

I haven't posted about the bluebirds since we lost the first clutch to the nasty wrens. So you may be surprised to see that WE HAVE BABIES!!!!

Mom and Dad have been very diligent in keeping a good eye on the box/nest. Also, it appears the wrens got the message when we kept pulling out the sticks and twigs (which is okay to do until it forms a cup shape) and took up lodging in our country store bird feeder outside our back door. We hadn't been using the bird feeder because the squirrels were chewing it apart to get the seed. So now we have the very nasty, noisy wrens as neighbors!! But that's okay as long as they leave these babes alone.


They open their mouths in response to noise that they hear overhead. Don't they almost look like yellow flowers growing out of a fuzzy clump of something?

The parents have been in and out of the nest box feeding them insects and removing the poop. This was taken two days ago so we will make a check on them later to see how they have grown. I'll being sharing pics as I get them.