random reflections

Sweet Shot Tuesday and P52

I'm using the same shot again for Sweet Shot Tuesday and P52, and yes, once again, it's a photo of a flower. I can't help it, they're the only thing around here that has any appeal by mid-February. This rose was part of a larger bouquet I bought at Wegmans, the local grocery store. Tracy surprised me with a beautiful arrangement of many different kinds of flowers yesterday, so I'm sure there'll be another one next week!

 

Here's a shot of the whole bouquet. These are such a bargain and last for days!

Project 64: Apricot

I carried this crayon around with me for several days wondering when I would discover something that was apricot. It's an odd shade and there's nothing in my closet or jewelry box that comes close. The first thing I thought of was my great-aunt's china which I inherited. And, yes, one of the flowers is pretty close.

When I opened a package of dried apricots, they really looked too orange, but when I put the crayon next to them, it's not bad.

Then I was at the mall, and noticed the banner Anthropologie had hanging outside their store. VERY close, I'd say.

But finally, on Friday night, we went to the George Eastman House for an opening of the new Civil War photography show. While we were there we wandered into the mansion where the annual Dutch Bulb Collection is in bloom. I have no idea what kind of flower this is, but the veins are definitely apricot, and it is a lovely, lovely flower.

So in the end, I found quite a bit, and had some fun in the looking. I'm really enjoying this project, and both Tracy and Matt are on the lookout with me for the color of the week.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Heart Day to those of you who celebrate! This was my father's favorite holiday, and he always spoiled us with lovely gifts on Valentine's Day. I thought I'd share a couple of things I made for Valentine's Day. The classroom where I volunteer is for special needs children, some of whom have very special dietary needs. They can have gummy worms, but frankly, I'm tired of filling treat bags with the same icky candy. (Even though they love it!) So I was excited when I found these water bottle labels. All the kids keep water bottles on their desks, so I know they'll get used. I tied a Valentine's Day pencil to each one as well. Pencils are always a big hit.

 

One of the projects I made for the Scrap-Mart blog was a fry box filled with Hershey kisses. I decided to make three more. The new die from Quickutz goes together really quickly, and the boxes hold about 25 kisses.

Tracy and I went out to dinner last night with good friends and I have a special dinner planned for tonight. We're not exchaning gifts since we just splurged on a new flat-screen TV which will be installed on Wednesday. But here's a Valentine for you . . .

Whether you celebrate or not, I hope you have a lovely day. I so appreciate the community that has developed here and would hand deliver these sweets to you if I could!

PTI Anniversary Party: BIG Challenge

I'm enjoying these Papertrey challenges. Today's was to create a card with a BIG sentiment, focal point . . . I don't have a lot of large stamps but I do have Big and Bold Wishes and used a similar repetition from an earlier challenge. I find I'm wanting to stamp in bright and cheerful colors to counteract the dreary snow and cold here.

Cardstock:  Select White & Hawaiian Shores (PTI) and Romani (Basic Grey); Stamps: Big and Bold Wishes (PTI), Ribbon: Celebrate It (Michaels) and dotted from stash; Birthday candle (unknown).

Tags and Frames

Today Papertrey Ink introduced new tag and frame stamps designed to coordinate with products they already have on the market. I love the versality of stamps like these. The challenge was to combine a tag with a frame. It's been a very busy day so, fortunately, I had a tag and a frame already die-cut as well as a cute Teresa Collins star. It didn't take too long to stamp and put it altogether. Eventually, I'll probably put this on a birthday card.

Except for the star and ribbon from my stash, all Papertrey Ink:  Pure Poppy and Select White cardstock, Fillable Frame #5, twine, Pure Poppy button.

PTI Button Challenge

Today was the first day of the new release at Papertrey Ink. I absolutely love buttons and use them all the time in both cardmaking and scrapbooking, so the stamps and dies really appealed to me. The challenge today, then, was to use buttons. Betsy Veldman's project this morning used fabric which inspired me to go buy some interfacing and try fabric with the Love Lives Here dies. I'm very happy with the way it worked out.

Along with the Love Lives Here dies, I used a sentiment from the same set, a small kraft card by Paper Source and three heart buttons from my stash. I scored two lines between the die cuts and the sentiment. The fabric came from a fat quarter I picked up at JoAnne's since years ago I got rid of almost all the fabric I had when I gave up sewing on a regular basis.

Team-up Thursday: Celebration

Another interesting mix this week for "celebration." I decided on Valentine sprinkles (haven't made the cookies yet) and Nancy photographed one of Highland Ave's snow sculptures. Thank goodness for folks who celebrate the winter around here. We need a few bright spots during the long, cold, snowy winters in Rochester!

PTI Anniversary Party: Color Challenge

This is my third post of the day since each challenge card for the PTI Anniversary Party requires a separate post. Today's challenge is a color challenge. I wanted to get the card done right away since I'll be out this afternoon. If I'm lucky I'll have time to get another one done before the deadline. All these challenges are adding to my card collection so I should be well prepared when birthdays and other occasions come along. I chose Erin Lincoln's colors: Ripe Avocado, Ocean Tides, Vintage Cream, & Dark Chocolate. Sadly, I seem to need a lot of get-well cards recently so I went to one of my favorite sets for this--"Chair-ished." The sentiment comes from the "On My Couch Additions" set, and the papers are all from the Green Tea Leaves collection.

 

PTI Anniversary Party: Make It Monday-Take 2

Scroll down one post for an explanation of this Papertrey Ink Anniversary Challenge. For this Go-To Sentiments card I decided to fill the Friendship Jar with thank-you messages. I stamped and cut a piece of Clearly Creative cardstock and fit it on top of the stamped messages. Sadly, it's not too easy to see in the image.

All products by Papertrey Ink: Cardstock: Kraft, Clearly Creative, and Select White; Twine; Dark Chocolate button; Stamps: Autumn Tags, Autumn Abundance, Beyond Basic Borders, Vintage Picnic, Take Three Summer, Mat Stack #3 Collection, Friendship Jar, & Year of the Flower: Violet

PTI Anniversary Party: Make It Monday-Take 1

More fun at Papertrey Ink. They've started a biweekly challenge with video. This week's is a Go-To Sentiment card where you stamp multiple sentiments from different stamps sets to create a card. My first one is a birthday card and uses sentiments from six different PTI stamp sets. I used Brilliance inks which have a bit of sparkle to them and colored the cute cake stamp (which has been in my collection for years!) with Copic glitter markers.

Stamp Sets used: Round & Round, Blooming Button Bits, Mat Stack 1 Collection, Make a Wish, Birthday Bash Sentiments, Enjoy the Ride