Pretty Flowers

I love flowers and I think my daughter has inherited that from me like I inherited it from my mom.  I just wish I had my mom's green thumb.  The lady can grow anything!  When we were visiting Ashley, she had a huge plant in her yard that was in a large pot.  But, the roots had grown through the bottom of the pot and into the ground.  I used a knife and tried to cut away the pot to give it more room.  We weren't too sure what the plant was but we thought it was a hibiscus.  Well, while she was away the past couple of weeks, it came into bloom and what a beautiful hibiscus it is! 

This gives you an idea of how large the flowers are!  Just wish I was there to see it in person.  Ashley wants to split it and move part of it since it is so big.  I don't know anything about that but if you do, please let us know.  I told her to go to a nursery and ask about it.

Speaking of flowers, I went to Ben Franklin's today (and had more time than last time!) and bought a Hero Arts Cling stamp.  So, I had to make a card when I got home.  What do you think?  Not as pretty as that hibiscus, but it'll do! 

The card is Kiwi Kiss.  The DSP is by My Mind's Eye / Wild Asparagus.  I used my SU Watercolors to color the flower in different colors of purple after embossing the flower in white.

Grandparents

This is priceless and I had to share it with you -

Written by a third grader, on what his grandparents do.

After Christmas, a teacher asked her young pupils how they spent their holiday away from school. One child wrote the following: We always used to spend the holidays with Grandma and Grandpa. They used to live in a big brick house, but Grandpa got retarded and they moved to Arizona . Now they live in a tin box and have rocks painted green to look like grass. They ride around on their bicycles, and wear name tags, because they don't know who they are anymore. They go to a building called a wreck center, but they must have got it fixed because it is all okay now, they do exercises there, but they don't do them very well. There is a swimming pool too, but they all jump up and down in it with hats on. At their gate, there is a doll house with a little old man sitting in it. He watches all day so nobody can escape. Sometimes they sneak out, and go cruising in their golf carts. Nobody there cooks, they just eat out. And, they eat the same thing every night - early birds. Some of the people can't get out past the man in the doll house. The ones who do get out, bring food back to the wrecked center for pot luck. My Grandma says that Grandpa worked all his life to earn his retardment and, says I should work hard so I can be retarded someday too. When I earn my retardment, I want to be the man in the doll house. Then I will let people out, so they can visit their grandchildren.

Summer On A Tropical Island

This is part of my organization this week.  I know a person or two who will roll their eyes (yes, you Marianne!) but  they  make sponging so much easier!  The pieces of sponge I had been using were just a guess as to what color they were.  So, there were times I was getting purple in my pink sponging and black in my navy.  I've been wanting to make these sponges for several months.  I just took the round sponge and cut it into 6 pieces.  Then punch a tab out of colored cardstock and staple it to the sponge piece.  I store them in a plastic container that used to hold my DMC yard when I did cross-stitch.

Here's my daubers.   I  need to get some clean daubers and keep them uncontaminated too.  I bought this plastic holder last year at CKC.

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So, here is the picture I did today using my nice clean sponges!  It's a CASE from Michelle Zindorf - but sponging instead of brayering.  The recipe is below the card.

Cardstock:  Whisper White, More Mustard, Basic Black, Taken With Teal

Ink:  Tempting Turq., Ballet Blue, Bashful Blue for sky and water / More Mustard & Creamy Caramel for sand

I stamped the tree and palm leaves (from the Summer Mini) in Basic Black.  I made the island using the corner of my black pad.  I stamped "summer" (from an old wheel that I had cut apart) on half of a Top Note die.

Don't you wish you were in that blue water or on that island in some exotic locale???  We can dream can't we!  One of my stamp club gals came to my house yesterday straight from a trip to Hawaii!  Lucky Dog!  She flew in at 8:30 a.m. and came to my house about 1 pm after no sleep.  That is dedication!!

Read a Good Book

Isn't she cute?  I bought this stamp at a stamp store in Lewisville last month on my way to Quarterly.  She reminds me so much of my daughter when she was little ... and now!  Ashley loves to read and can sit down & finish a book in record time.  She is the fastest reader I know.  When she was little, she had her head in a book 80% of the time.  I watercolored the image using Tombow Markers and my Aqua Pen.  I just love to watercolor that way!! 

Have you read any good books this summer?  I have been reading some books by Sheryl Woods.  They are just "feel good" books and a light read.  I don't usually like to read "heavy" books.  My mom listens to book on tape since she is legally blind - she has a degenerative eye disease, retinitis pigmentosa.  When we were at Ashley's, she was listening to a new book by Ann Ross.  It was one of a series of Miss Julia books.  I got so tickled at her - she was just laughing throughout the book.  She said it was about a bunch of 60-70 year old people, set in the south and their adventures - kinda like Aunt Bee on Andy Griffith!  I may have to get one of these books and read it.    One of the best series of books I have read is by Joan Medlicott - The Ladies of Covington.  They are really good.  When the series ended, I felt like I had lost my best friends!

Meander Book

What a crazy name for a book ... a meander book!  It gets it's name from the way the paper is cut and folded to make the pages.  Anyway, it is a fun little book to create.  And all you need is ONE sheet of Designer Paper, a couple of chipboard coasters and whatever scraps you want to use for embellishments.  I used some paper I had left over from a scrapbook kit by SEI that coordinated well so that is what I used.  This is a great little brag book for new mom's or grandmom's, for recipes, pictures, favorite quotes ... whatever you want.  I haven't decided yet what I will do with mine but I want to do another one now if was so fun!

This is the front of the book.  I made one of those crumpled up flowers using Sizzix Flower Layers die.  The leaves are from the Island Floral die in the Summer Mini Catalog.

This is my first page.  Each page has a tag tucked in it.

You can see the tags sticking out the side and top of the book. 

I got the directions for this little book on Splitcoast Stampers.  Beate wrote the tutorial and there is also a video tutorial.  Here is the link.  Check it out and make one for yourself!

My Baggie of Water plus a Monday Mailer

My re-organization is coming together!  I did the craziest thing though!  I have a wooden dowel that Sonny made for me that fits onto an old wrought iron paper towel holder and it holds some ribbon.  Well, I had pulled it about halfway out so I could get a roll of ribbon that was in the middle (isn't that always the case?)  when a fly landed on my arm.  I slapped at the fly and my hand came down snapping the dowel in two.  BUT ... I got the fly!!  Guess I'm going to have to put a baggie of water over my craft room door.  Don't laugh!  I'm one of those people who believe that a baggie of water over your outside door will keep the flies from entering your house.  I have hung those water baggies in our Texas house, our Washington house and my home here in NC and I don't have flies in my house (except the one yesterday - I do believe he came through the upstairs screen window!)  When I was at Ashley's house last month, I hung the water baggie over her back door.  She just rolled her eyes at me.  When I was first told about this, I did the eye rolling too, but I have come to be a believer.  The girl that told me about it said that when they went camping, they would hang the baggies in the trees around the perimeter of their campsite.  Don't know about that, but it works for me here at home.  I've always believed that it's something about their eyes reflecting in the water.  But you can decide for yourself and read this article HERE.

I tackled some shelves today in my organizing that I really didn't want to ... I was afraid of what I would find!  But now I have 2 baskets of finished goodies, a basket of kits I have bought & not even opened yet and another basket of kits I have started at various events but never finished.  So, that is what I will start working on - see how many I can get done!  My Newcomer's group is having a hand-made bazaar in the fall and letting those of us who make things sell our items at a coffee.  I hope to make a little Christmas money by selling a few things. 

Wednesday my stamp club is meeting and they want to make some fabric flowers.  I spent about an hour tonight cutting out some different sizes of flowers with the Big Shot.  I will give them a chance to cut their own if they want, but thought it would help move things along if I did some of the cutting.  I can't wait to see the flowers they make!  I'm also going to be teaching the Garden Club to make the flowers in August - we just have to find a location. 

Here is my Monday Mailer for this week.  I mailed it today to Tina.  Hope she likes it!

I used the Tropical DSP from the Summer Mini and the retiring Owl Together stamp.  I haven't used this stamp set enough!  But, it's one I will hang on to - I like owls.  I used my bow maker to tie the orange bow!  I think this qualifies for a masculine card.  What say you?

Strawberry Fluff

Hope the father in your home had a great day yesterday!  I let Sonny do nothing all day & that's what he did!  I made lunch for him and took him out to dinner.  Well, actually my mom & sister paid for his dinner!  He chose to go to his favorite Asian restaurant and we all had coupons so it was a pretty good deal.  Ashley called him this afternoon to wish him a Happy Father's Day.  She is pretty bored at her training in Ft Polk.  This training is mainly for the soldiers and she is doing a lot of just hanging out.  She is not the type of gal to not have anything to do so I know she will be glad when this is over.

I have a Weight Watcher recipe to share with you.  It's pretty good for these hot summer days.

Strawberry-Pineapple Fluff  -  Makes 6 servings (1/2 cup) at 2 Points

1 small pkg. sugar free vanilla cook "n serve puddingw
1 small pkg. sugar free straberry gelatin
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple in its own juice, undrained
1 cup water
2 cups frozen unsweetened strawberries
1/4 cup light whipped topping
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

In large saucepan, combine dry pudding mix, dry gelatin, undrained pineapple, and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring often until mixture thickens and starts to boil. Remove from heat, stir in frozen strawberries. Place pan on a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Whip mixture, using an electric mixer on High, until mixture is fluffy. Stir in whipped topping and marshmallows. Spoon into serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 10 minutes. Gently stir again just before serving.

And here's the card that (should) go with the recipe!

Doesn't that look yummy? I CASE'd this card.  This will be one of the club cards this month.  I used some Kiwi Kiss ribbon (still love that color & wish it had made it back!).  The little tag is punched with the Tiny Tag that is in the last mini catalog but it is still available for purchase.

A Place for Everything & Everything in It's Place!

I've been in another organization mood ... well, I have to since my SU stamps have outgrown their shelves! I am moving them over to another set of shelves that have a bunch of stuff on them already. So, I'm finding new homes for the stuff on those shelves. I'm going slow - just doing a little bit a day because it's been so hot. Right now, I can barely walk through my room for the mess. I hope by the end of the weekend I'll find a place for everything and put everything in that place. But I did find a little room on my desk this evening to make this card!

Here's the "deets" on the creation:  I used my Nesties to cut out a white circle and a Marina Mist (love this color!) circle.  I made a mask with the hydranga stamp and stamped the French Script background in Crumb Cake on the white circle (I have a retired French Script but there is also one in the catty on pg 134).  Then I inked the hydranga (from a Sneak Peek stamp, Because I Care) with Marina Mist and Old Olive and stamped it on the circle.  I sponged Crumb Cake (loving this color too!) on the circle.  I stamped "because I care" in Crumb Cake on white & punched it out with the oval punch & backed it with an oval of Marina Mist.  I sponged a little Crumb Cake on the oval before I coated it with Diamond Glaze.  I used an oval from my Hodgepodge Hardware - cut in half! - and using Diamond Glaze as glue, I adhered it to the back of the oval.  I tied a little bit of hemp on either side & frayed it.  Looking at the card now, I think I will add a little glitter to the centers of the flowers - just a tiny bit!

You may also have noticed the changes on my blog design.  I'm still playing around.  Yesterday I downloaded a design from another website & it didn't work out.  In fact, it made a mess of my blog and I spent a couple of hours trying to restore some things.  This design is from Blogger.  They have recently updated their templates so they are more up to date.  This one is pretty plain but I will be playing around with it again tomorrow since I canceled the class I was supposed to do at Stampers Alley. 

We went out on the boat this afternoon. I think today was the 6th straight 90 degree day. I hate to think what July and August are going to be like!! I ended up in the water most of the time - just too hot to lay on the boat and read like I usually do. Looking at the forecast, it is going to stay in the 90s for next week too.  At least it cools down at night - unlike Texas!  I've about decided I'm getting too old to take this much heat. 

STAY COOL!

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

BLOG IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION TODAY!

New Goodies in the House!

There are new goodies in the house!  I got the new catty today along with a couple of new stamp sets, and a bundle of the new color card stock and ink pads.  I've only had time to look through the catalog once but so far, I'm liking it!!  I'm sending one of the stamp sets back - I ordered the wrong Hostess sneak peek but tomorrow I'll be using the other stamp set (Because I Care) and I'll be sharing.

For now though, I made a card using Design Elements stencils that I got last week and just got around to opening them tonight!  I love them!  You get three stencils in the pack for $9.95 - very reasonable I think.  To see some of the other stencils, click HERE. 

Here's my card and my "how-to's" -

I temporarily taped the stencil to my Very Vanilla cardstock and sponged Crumb Cake (the old Kraft - now in an ink pad) over the fleur stencil.  Then without moving the stencil, I stamped some of the images from the Priceless stamp set over the fleur in Early Espresso (a very dark brown).  I dyed my taffeta white ribbon Early Espresso with a sponge dauber.  Then I stamped "wonderful" from Warm Words on the bottom.  I layered the Vanilla piece onto a piece of Early Espresso.  I stamped the swirl from Priceless on my Crumb Cake card.  I love it!!