July 31 - Self-Portrait

This has been an interesting endeavor.  I have enjoyed thinking about the prompts and planning out my photos for the past month.  Thanks to those of you who join me here for seeing me through this and special thanks to those of you who commented. 

There is an August group and the prompts are listed here.  You might have to be a Flickr member, but there is no fee involved in that.  I am not going to participate this time as it will be a busy month at work and with our vacation during this time, I didn't want to commit to anything personally.  There is no formal commitment to participate in these things, and I think that I even learned that you really don't have to post a picture that you have taken that day as I thought.  I might do some of them, but I won't post here, I'll have them in my Flickr account.

I'd love to follow along with anyone if you decide to participate in August.  So let me know if you do.

July 30 - Friends

July 29 - What You Did Today

I went through this pile of driftwood pieces that we have collected......................

Picked some choice pieces out...........................................................

Got a piece of scrapbook paper.......................................................

And made this to hang on the wall.

I also took lots of picture of birds this morning which I'll share later and I finished up a little paper project which will be shared later also.

Hopefully we'll get some real fishing in tonight.  I hear that the snapper blues are biting.

July 28 - Can't Get Enough Of

Perhaps it would be better worded - Don't Have Enough of...... and that would be TIME to do the things I want to do. 

I know there are times when I put aside the things that I should be doing to do something that would be more enjoyable, but I find that I keep thinking of things to do and collecting things to use to do them and I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever have time to do most of these things before I get buried alive. 

When my sister died several years ago and we were going through her things we found tons of craft supplies including many needlepoint and cross stitch kits.  She had stained glass and beads and all sorts of stuff.  (She hadn't gotten into rubber stamping, otherwise I'm sure there would have been a boat load of those supplies too!)  I remember saying at that time that there weren't enough hours in the day to complete those kits, let alone use up those supplies.  We wound up donating most of it. 

But it's not just the amount of supplies or abundance of ideas, it's also the lack of energy.  I yearn to be my creative self, but after completing the tasks of the day that have to be done I am sometimes wiped out to the point of needing to go to sleep.  I used to be more of a night person, much to HWNSNBP's dismay, but not so much any more.  I had balance there for a while and now I seem to have lost it - in more ways than one.

Anyway, enough whining.  I am going to finish this photo challenge for the month but I need to refresh a bit and get myself a little more organized so I can be my creative self again.  

July 27 - A Corner of Your Home

There are certain times of the day when I look around and really like the way that something looks.  The light has to be just right - enough to illuminate, but not too much or too little.  Unfortunately, this time is usually in the middle of the day on the weekend.  And since it wasn't a weekend and I wasn't home in the middle of the day the light wasn't just right for this picture, but looking around there wasn't another corner that was any better. 

This is in the living room which is at the front of the house.  The sconce was a project from a painting class I took years ago.  The desk is an old wooden one that I picked up when the kids were little and they were selling some of the district's outdated school furniture.  It's been waiting to be painted also, but in the interim it has become the place where we've put family pictures - mostly of the chillies and at various ages. 

What's left of the challenge -

July 28 - Can't Get Enough Of

July 29 - What You Did Today

July 30 - Friend(s)

July 31 - Self-Portrait

July 26 - Where You Are at 6:00 p.m.

Where you are at 6:00 p.m. - hmmmm, stop everything and grab the camera - at the kitchen sink.  Lunch containers are done and I'm propped on my elbows eating a fudge pop, gazing out the window and planning the rest of the evening.  Guess I should have dusted that windowsill!

Teapot Tuesday 156 and Jingle Belles 30

YES!  I can combine both of my challenges this week!  This is the lovely teapot inspiration that we have for Teapot Tuesday.  I'm sure you'll want to read the story, so click here.  And it's Tickle a Teapotter Tuesday too!  So that means that this card will be going to a Teapotter somewhere in the world.  Aha, but I also made a second card just like it to add to my stash of Jingle Belles cards - don't want to fall behind!!!

The Jingle Belles challenge is called "O Hole-y Night" and using big technical stamping words - the card has to have an aperture.  This challenge was suggested by guest star Ros Crawford - and a fun one it is!  (Oooh, oooh, I just took a peek at Ros' blog and there's a real cool project there I'm going to have to give a try!!!!)

So scouring my stamps I knew I was looking for a gingerbread man and I actually found two, but this little guy from Bingo Bits won out and became part, or rather the triplets became part of this card this week.  There are three apertures and they are framing the triplets who have been stamped and then cut out (yes, I know I'm crazy but I didn't want to screw up and stamp them crooked or something) and popped up.  The apertures are framed with a Real Red ring (now that was crazy) and I tied three tiny red cotton thread bows. 

The retired dsp strips were each punched with different border punches (except the farthest on the left) and layered on the Soft Suede card base.  I added a strip of white rick-rack - one of my 25 cent finds at a recent flea market. 

The sentiment comes from the set Got Treats (which had the other gingerbread man).  Aren't these little guys cute though? 

I went through my box of Jingle Belles cards this week and had to put post-it notes on some of them.  Why?  Because several people on my Christmas card list have made requests for certain cards and I would like to honor them.  Whew!  That will make it a little easier for me when it comes to choosing who gets what. 

Let me get going to get some stamping in, jump in the pool, and then get to browsing the Teapot Gallery and the Jingle Belles gallery. 

July 25 - Growing

7-25 growing, a photo by lorrainemastalski on Flickr.

Yes, this picture was taken today but not in our yard. HWNSNBP and I got permission to put up a bluebird house in the front circle at the school. Earlier in the spring we had bluebirds that were interested but they didn't choose to nest there at that time. Instead there was a clutch of tree swallows.

Suprisingly, the bluebirds came back and about a week-and-a-half ago HWNSNBP checked the box while he was dropping something off for me and found 4 eggs.

Mrs. Blue was in the box when I tapped on it this morning to let her know that I was there. She flew off and I got this picture. I think if you look carefully at the egg at 9 o'clock it just might be cracking. I will attempt to keep monitoring on a more regular basis.

Spool Cards

On Page 106 in the new SU Catty there was a sample of a little card in the shape of a spool that I thought would be good for sending shares of ribbon or twine to someone on.  I looked high and low but could not seem to find a pattern but then I realized that the packaging for SU's linen thread would do just by cutting off the larger top and making the top and bottom equal in size.  So that's what I used for my pattern here. 

I used some dsp on the front and decorated it with ribbon and a tag, but you could actually just stamp the base with a flower or some other motif and then wrap your share around the front.  My share will be going inside because it's a secret right now. 

The little floral motif I used is from Tiny Tags.... and so are the tags which are stamped on both sides of the tag.  I used my SU markers to color them both.  I would have gotten a little more elaborate with these but I had about 10 of them to do.  The cards themselves are about 2 3/4" tall and just a little bit wider. 

Time to get these surprises in the mail! 

July 24 - Something Red

One of my favorite kitchen tools.  The strawberry corer not only cores the strawberry, but will also let me scoop out any imperfections or soft spots. 

This photo challenge is winding down and I promise I will have more stamping/paper projects to share.  Thanks for bearing with me.

July 23 - Guilty Pleasure

Guilty pleasure - Taking time to do Zentangles and eating peanut m&m's. 

July 22 - The Best Part of Today

At what point do you determine what the best part of the day is or was?  Do you go through the day just taking random pictures of what you are occupied in?  Or are you supposed to decide ahead of time what the best part of the day will be?  This is a conundrum to me.

The best part of today could have been waking up in an air-conditioned room - which I did, but it was not my bed or my room.  I slept in my daughter's old room last night because I couldn't take the heat anymore and that's where the air-conditioner was upstairs. 

I got to sleep late and took my time getting ready to travel and when we were about to get in the car to leave the indoor-outdoor thermometer read 104.9.  Yikes!  Then in the car the temp rose to 105.  Coming through Princeton we were stopped at a light and I looked over and saw this tree with all the vines growing on it and thought it looked interesting and luckily was able to grab my camera and get a few snaps before we moved on. 

Not too much later we were treated to a 26 degree drop in temperature and a light show accompanied by water in the form of rain.  It was kind of thrilling watching the lightning. 

The temperature rose again as we left the storm area.  We stopped at the farm stand and picked up some corn, peaches, and a melon. 

Nothing else outstanding happened today.  So I might consider the car ride as the best part and this is the only picture that I have.

July 21 - Smells Good

The bucket of wintergreen lifesavers I have on my desk at work.  A little treat of aromatherapy for me and a sweet treat for the staff.

July 20 - Today's Mail

......... or what's left of it.

Jingle Belles 29 - Reindeer Games

I've had this stamp for a while now and finally put it to use in our Reindeer Games prompt this week.  This is quite a mish mosh of things that I had that just kind of came together, although I'm not quite thrilled with this card.  Too much space to the  left of the deer's head.  I think I will put a Merry Christmas or something there. 

Anyway, I was happy to use the stamp and the new Memory Box twig wreath die both of which I picked up at One Little Spark in Tuckerton.  The paper was a recent purchase at AC Moore and the Christmas tree ribbon just happened to be in my eyesight as I was searching for the stamp. 

It's still a suana up there in the Stamp Castle, er, Stamp Suana.   And it's not going to cool down anytime soon.  So I'm going in and prepping things and then trying to finish them downstairs where it's cooler.  A little exercise going up and down the stairs.  Can you call it Stamp Aerobics I wonder?

Okay, heading on over to see the other "Reindeer Games".  Click here.

July 19 - Books

School may be out but the books are still in ............ the library.

Teapot Tuesday 155

So are you reminded of a Jester?  I think so.  So were the teapotters and the storyteller Cindy.  You can read all about here. 

Challenge - Make a funny card.  I hope this mixture of a cupcake liner, some tissue-paper garland and a new stamp that's been embellished fit into that category. 

The stamped image is a new Memory Box stamp that I got this weekend.  I added the glasses and the extra peaks to the hat to make it look like it was ready to party.  (The shoes too!)  The wording was done with my Just Right stamper.  Boy, does that come in handy. 

I'm fading fast here so I will be off for now and will return as soon as possible.  Until then, why don't you check out the gallery here.

July 18 - A Mess

This is a fraction of my work table and a fraction of the mess.

Notebook Redo - Before and After

I picked up these two little notebooks at The Christmas Tree Shop.  They were cute, but I wanted to use up some of the scraps on my worktable and this is what I did.

The Start of the Long Weekend

Thursday night's sunset over the wildlife refuge.

Friday morning's bird party.

Queen Anne's Lace on the side of the road.

A pair of swans.

Make and Takes at One Little Spark (LSS in Tuckerton).

The Stewartsmobile outside Stewarts Drive-In in Tuckerton.

Lunch for HWNSNBP and myself.  Me - grilled cheese with tomato and bacon.  HWNSNBP - Chesapeake crab cake sandwich.  Shared - eggplant fries.  It wouldn't be complete without a Stewart's Root Beer.  (Not the healthiest lunch, but totally enjoyable.)

A gull who was looking for a handout.

Full moon over the bay.  Forgot the tripod so I rested the camera on a picnic table on the dock and captured the moon just as it appeared over the railing.  I took at least 20 pics and this was the best one and that's why I'm kicking myself for not bringing the tripod across the street!

On our bike ride Saturday morning, we took a detour off the bike path and stopped for a drink (ice teas for us) at the Lighthouse Tavern.  This was one of the pictures on the wall.  I love those little fishing girls on the rocks.  There are fish at the feet of the one on the right. 

July 17 - Transporation

Transportation - my new bike.  Funny, the back tire looks a little distorted but it's just leaning a little towards the kick stand. 

On our ride this morning two large birds crossed the road in front of us.  Some thought they were turkeys, some thought they were peahens, but after some investigation I've determined that they are guinea hens.  My friend Cindy would love these I think as their feathers are polka-dotted! 

Tomorrow's prompt is "a mess" and I'll warn you now - it won't be pretty, and no, it's not a self-portrait!

July 16 - Dinner

Dinner tonight was delicious.  We went to Mud City with friends and this is the "appetizer" that they usually put on the table - a small bucket of oyster crackers.  You can eat them as is, or you can dip them in cocktail sauce.  I actually had stuffed flounder with a baked potato and cole slaw and the picture wasn't all that interesting. 

Swan Inspiration

The swan pictures above were taken last weekend.  I seem to have had better success that day with that camera.  I'll explain later.

I had found a box recently of  paper "stuff" I was saving to do something with.  It included a couple of postcard advertisements we picked up at the flower show and a sheet that I printed out of swans for some long forgotten Christmas project (I think).  Anyway, they came together on this card below and I added a few of the rolled flowers that I had left from my chair cushion tags.

I couldn't decide on the backdrop as the card has a black base.

This picture was taken yesterday, however, this camera does not have a viewfinder, only a view screen and I find that it's difficult to get it to focus on things that are in the close distance like the swans.  I tried tricking it by moving the camera at the last minute, but apparently I will need more practice.

They were sitting together in the same spot that we saw them last week and when I attempted to get a little closer they decided they'd had enough of me and began to get in the water.  It was then that we noticed that one of them was limping which is probably why they were where they were.  Swans mate for life and the uninjured one will stay with the injured one to protect them however they can.  I don't know male from female in this instance, but I hope that the injured one will recover.

July 15 - What's on the Coffee Table

Our prompt today was What's on Your Coffee Table.  These two lighthouses are on the coffee table at the condo and they both light up.  It's been a busy day but a gorgeous one.  Until tomorrow.

7-14 What You Wore

Gonna get a haircut after work today and the evening will be a busy one so I'm posting this early.  I'm sure no one wants to see a pile of clothes, especially after a haircut!