Dragonfly Garden

 How many more days until Spring??!!  I am anxiously awaiting the arrival.  My camelia bush is full of blooms and I know it's Lent because my Lenten Roses are blooming too!

I just wish they would raise their heads up so we can see the beautiful flower!

So pretty!

I am so thankful that my back is doing so much better.  I was really worried for a while that my card making was going to be a thing of the past.  I am trying to be really diligent about not pushing myself though. 

I have a few Dragonfly Garden stamp set cards to share with you today.  This stamp set is available in the Mini Catalog and comes bundled with a Dragonfly Punch.

I couldn't get a picture without getting the glare on the transparency sheet.  I inked the leaves and flowers up with Mint Macaron and then used markers to color the flower heads.  I made a stitched frame using the Stitched Rectangles and cut a piece of transparency to adhere to the back of the frame.  The dragonfly was stamped in black and colored with Stampin' Blends Rich Razzleberry.  Then I sponged ink onto the front of the dragonfly and adhered it to the back side of the transparency.  Then the frame & transparency were adhered to the black mat.  I forgot to stamp the sentiment & had to lift up the part I had glued down to stamp the sentiment ..... CROOKED!!

I am loving making these slimline cards.  This one measures 7 1/4" x 7" and fold in half.  I stamped the small dragonflies all over the Gray Granite card with white ink and embossed them with white embossing powder.  (You could do the same thing using Versamark instead of white ink.)  The rectangles are 2" x 2 1/4" (Misty Moonlight) and the DSP (Sale-a-Bration Field & Flower) is about 1/8" smaller.  I stamped the dragonflies and used Stampin' Brushes to color the wings and then put Wink of Stella on them.  The sentiment is die cut with Stitched Sweetly dies.

This is a bright card!  I stamped the flowers with Memento black ink onto Very Vanilla cardstock and used Stampin' Blends to color them.  I die cut one side with the Ornate dies and adhered it to a piece of Artistry Blooms DSP.  Next I mounted it onto Bumblebee cardstock and then onto the Melon Mambo card.  I stamped 2 dragonflies in Bumblebee Ink - one in vellum and the other onto Vanilla cardstock and layered them with the vellum one on top.

Cats in a Crate!

Hello Stampin' friends!  Do you like cats?  If so, I have a really cute card to share with you today!!  I made this last week for a fellow cat lover friend using the stamp set, Pretty Kitty.  You can find this stamp in Stampin' Up's annual catalog on page 49.  My daughter is actually the big cat lover in our family.  If I were to choose, I would probably pick a small dog over a cat.  But I love my cat, Sammie, who I inherited from my mom.  She is definitely a one person cat though - me!  When my daughter was a child, there was a house at the end of our alley (in Texas, most houses have the garage at the back of the house and an alley for coming and going) that every few months would have the "free kitten" sign in the yard.  She and I tried to adopt one of those cats several times - even once, bringing the kitten home with us - but Sonny would not have any part of a cat so we walked back and returned the kitten.  Finally when she was in middle school and I was working at the public library, someone brought in a mother cat and her litter that had been abandoned.  It was close to Christmas and the public buildings would be shut down.  They were going to put the kittens and the mama cat to sleep if no one would take them.  I called Sonny and got the "ok" and brought a kitten home to Ashley for her birthday.  She named him Mr. Claus.  She loved that cat - not me so much.  We had him for several years.  Eventually, of course, I ended up taking care of him when she went to college until he got sick and we had to put him to sleep.  No more cats in our life until about 8 years later when someone abandoned a kitten in the parking lot of the hospital in Washington where she was doing her residency.  Since it was a military hospital, we figured someone got transferred and left the kitten behind.  Ashley named him Taco.  He was a great cat!!  Much more lovable than Mr. Claus!!   He made the cross country trip from Washington to D.C. laying on a pillow on the console between us happy as a lark.  Unfortunately, he got sick after 2-3 years and died unexpectedly when he was being sedated to give him fluids.  That was the worst!  She went several years before she'd even think of getting another cat but finally, she and I made a trip to the pound and found Bogart.  He is the BEST cat ever!!  Everyone loves him - even Sonny!!

So - now that you have read all that, I guess you would like to see the card!

This card took a little longer to make than the average card.  I stamped the kittens on neutral card stock (Basic Gray, Sahara Sand, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Smoky Grey) and cut them out with my paper snips.  The "crate" is from the Wood Textures DSP.  I used dimensionals on the "crate" and just fit my cats in using Glue Dots.  I used markers to color their bows and put a little pink on the ears.  The push pin holding the sign is from Painters Palette.  I used the Mini Treat Bag Thinlets for the zig zag ends of the sign.

Here's a funny picture for you.  I was doing some spring cleaning Saturday and when Sonny moved the chest in our room so he could vacuum behind it, we found the hiding place for all Sammie's toys:

I think spring will be here soon - at least I am hoping!  These are some pictures I took in the last couple of weeks.

Beautiful sky!

Sunset through the trees.

Flowering spring trees!

Another beautiful sign of spring!

Happy Easter - Spring has Sprung!

There is a lot of confusion regarding what Easter Sunday is all about.  For some it means decorating eggs and looking for the Easter Bunny.  Most people are confused as to how the resurrection of Christ is related to the Easter eggs and bunny!  Are you?  I was so I decided to look for an answer. Biblically speaking, there is no connection between the resurrection of Jesus and the common traditions related to Easter.  Essentially what happened is that in order to make Christianity more attractive to non-Christians, the ancient Roman Catholic Church mixed the celebration of Jesus with celebrations that involved spring fertility rituals.  Those rituals are the source of the egg and bunny traditions.  Hopefully when you celebrate today with your loved ones, you will remember what the day is all about while having fun looking for Easter eggs!

Spring is springing up all around me.  While I was out last week, I snapped several pictures of the beginnings of Spring in North Carolina.

These are the trees blooming at the entrance to my neighborhood.  While I was taking the picture, it looked like it was snowing as the flowers were blowing off the trees.

This gorgeous tree is in my Mom's yard.  (That is her house in the background.)  What makes me so sad is that Mom's eyes have deteriorated so much that she can't see this tree and enjoy it's beauty.

I took this picture underneath the tree looking up to the sky.

Can you spot the dogwood just starting to bloom:

This is one of my favorite flowers / trees.  The dogwood tree means rebirth and resurrection and Christianity as a whole.

 
I don't know what this is called but it is really pretty.  This is right beside my driveway so I get to see it every day.  This is the best it has looked in our ten years here.

I wish this was in my yard!  It is in my neighborhood and I had to stop and take a picture.  I have always loved a Forsythis (or as many Southerners call it, a Yellow Bell).  I planted one when we lived in Texas and in Washington.  Don't know why I haven't done so here!!  I'll have to get Sonny on it.

Last but not least are these pretty Hellebores (or Lenten Roses).  You'll have to take my word for it that they are pretty.  Guess they are just shy and like to be droopy.  I like to cut them and float them in a crystal bowl of water.

Hope you have enjoyed my little bit of spring and have a wonderful Easter!!

Spring Has Sprung!

Spring is officially HERE!!  The first day of spring is March 20.  We have had beautiful days recently.  I don't think I will find spring weather though in Ireland and England.  I have packed for the cold!  According to the AccuWeather site, it will be in the 40s and 50s next week in Ireland.  So, I guess I will be taking my boots instead of my flip flops!!  

Last Friday when our friends were visiting, we went to Old Salem in Winston Salem and had a wonderful day.  The cherry trees were in bloom and were just spectacular!  Check out my blog heading - it was made with My Digital Studio and pictures I took of the blooming trees!  Here are a few more pictures from our visit.

Camelia Bush

Graham & Margaret

Margaret & Sonny with one of the Salem ladies

We finally got the delay feature to work on the camera!

The guys waiting for us gals!

Trees lining the driveway of Salem College

Close up of the blooms

Margaret & I under the tin tea pot

The year's at the spring,
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hillside's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His heaven -
All's right with the world!

(Pippa's Song by Robert Browning)

My posting will be sporadic the next few weeks.  I've scheduled a few postings in advance.  We are leaving March 21 and will return April 9!!