random reflections

Surprise!

I just had to do a layout about finally getting decent fireworks shots, even though I didn't expect them.

I started with white textured cardstock from American Craft. The banner is Quickutz’s DIY Pennants. I cut the pennants from Pink Paislee’s "Starlight" and Reminisce “Liberty Stars” and just attached them at the top so there’s a bit of dimension. The camera is a rub-on and the caption is a stamp from Lawn Fawn. Bright red American Craft Thickers and a few punched stars took care of the title. I love the Grand Large Labels from Spellbinders which make perfect journaling mats. Both were cut with my Grand Calibur.

Here's a better look at the journaling:

Seeing 3-D

Who knew there were 3-D glasses for watching fireworks? Let me tell you they are amazing! Every firework turned into a kaleidoscope and if you’re wondering about some of the overlit photos, the flash on the camera had the same effect. My niece works for a credit union who passed out the glasses to their customers. It made the Fourth more fun than ever!

This is a pretty simple layout. I started with the bright blue textured cardstock, and used American Craft glittter Thickers which seemed so appropriate for the Fourth. The star border was cut with my Silhouette SD, and then I added some little letter stickers and a few rhinestones. A much more glitzy layout than I usually create, but it seemed appropriate for the occasion.

Project 64: Wisteria

 

The wisteria was beautiful here this spring, but it's no longer in bloom, but there are plenty of flowers similar in color. All of these were (once again) taken with my iPhone on our morning walks. I don't know the names of all of them, but all are fairly common in this area.

This is the one I'm linking at Project 64. I like the composition of this photo the best. These flowers grow along my MIL's fence. We walked over there this week to water her plants while she is staying at the cottage.

Clematis, also growing along the fence at my MIL's.

Ageratum (not sure of the spelling here.)

Million Bells in our patio planter

Hostas (a bit blurry, sadly)

There will be more wisteria at Project 64.

 

 

Holiday Gift Exchange

It's been a busy week. Aside from packing for a rather lengthy vacation, we're also packing up our kitchen so the contractor can begin to rip out the ceiling and old cupboards while we're away. We've been driving to Consesus Lake every day to visit with Tracy's family. His mom has rented a cottage, and all of us try to gather for dinner (at least) every day. It's been over 90° every day this week, so it's been great to be at the lake. The last several years, we've taken the opportunity to draw names for the Christmas gift exchange during this week since everyone is together. I make gift tags, and if they want, the family can save them for the packages come December. (Mine is in a little dish on my dresser so I don't lose it!)

Here is this year's version:

I kept it pretty simple this year. I colored some Avery tags with Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Broken China), punched some snowflakes and outlined them with a glitter pen, and added a coordinating gem. The snowflakes are popped out with a 3-D adhesive. The back was stamped with WPlus9's "All Occasion Tags."

This is probably my last blog post before we leave for Vancouver, BC and Alaska. It appears internet connections will be iffy, so I doubt that I'll be able to do much blog reading or commenting (not that I expect to have much time for that), and I'm quite sure posting will be a challenge. I'm hoping to keep up with Project 64, but we'll see how it goes. I do have a few posts pre-scheduled, and I'll be catching up with you on my return. We're very excited to be going on our first cruise, and to be going with good friends of over 25 years. Should be fabulous!

Project 64: Mac & Cheese

 

This week's color at Project 64 was certainly easier for me than last week's Sea Green! And I managed to get another photo for Rinda's Scavenger Hunt (see the left sidebar) as well. I love orange, and as soon as I pulled out my little card for Mac & Cheese, I checked my orange J. Jill shirt from a couple of years ago. Perfect match, and now I have a self-portrait (taken with my Hipstamatic app) for the Scavenger Hunt. And I'm submitting this one to Project 64 which is a pretty gutsy move seeing how much I hate self-portraits.

All the rest of the photos were taken on just one morning walk with my iPhone.

Marigolds

 

A realtor's sign

Rudbeckia

Sign for a Ribs and Blues Fest

 

 

Fanatical About Botanical Challenge in the Moxie Fab World

I have a card for the new Moxie Fab World challenge, botanicals. The Garden Variety stamps by Papertrey seem a perfect match for the Pink Paislee Butterfly Garden papers. Edited to add this to the Simon Says Anything Goes Challenge.

The butterfly is part of the patterned paper, but I added some stamped grass to the bottom of the frame and some gems for some dimension.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Rustic White (Papertrey)
Patterned Paper: Butterfly Garden (Pink Paislee)
Stamps:  Garden Variety (Papertrey)
Die:  Seed Packet Frame (Papertrey)
Ribbon: Paper Source
Gems from stash

Project 64: Sea Green

I've put this post off as long as I can hoping something better would show up for last week's color. Sea Green was the hardest one yet for me. Several folks posted sea glass, and I have a jar filled with sea glass from our first trip to California fifteen years ago. None of my sea glass is quite right, but the jar itself is the closed thing I have to sea green. Since it's nearly translucent, it's harder to see in a photo. It's much closer to the crayon sample than the crayon wrapper.

You can find more Sea Green here.

Embellish Nautical Challenge and Summer Card Camp

Earlier in the spring, I was the lucky winner of a new stamp set from Craft's Meow called "It's a Shore Thing." When I saw the Embellish Nautical Color Challenge, I knew I'd found a way to use these cute stamps.

Although someone named the colors as brown, red, navy, and light blue, the darker blue is not quite navy in my book. Fortunately, I found an Adirondack ink pad (Stream) that was exactly the right color.

This is Week 3 of Summer Card Camp, and I'm actually on track with my first card with the new color combination which seemed perfect for my niece's son who is turning two.

Here's my card. I was happy to get to use these fun Papertrey Ink products.

It's a bit hard to see but both the red mat and the taupe circle are cut and embossed with Nestabilities.

Supplies:

You Float My Boat
Cardstock:  Neeah Solar White, Memory Box light blue
Patterned Paper: Bitty Stars (Papertrey) & clouds cut from Quite Contrary (MME)
Stamps:  It's a Shore Thing (Craft's Meow) & Tiny Treats: Valentine (Papertrey)
Light Blue marker:  Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen

Look Who's Turning Two
Cardstock:  Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy, Kraft (Papertrey) & scrap from stash
Patterned Paper: "Night Light Jack" (October Afternoon)
Nestabilities: Classic Rectangles & Small Classic Circles (Spellbinders)
Die:  By the Numbers (Papertrey)
Impression Plate: By the Numbers (Papertrey)
Stamps:  Birthday Bash & Big Birthday Wishes (Papertrey)
Twine: Pure Poppy (Papertrey)
Star punch; McGill

Celebrate with New Shoes

I thought it would be fun to play along with Casual Friday's challenge this week. I quickly found a shaped card I could cut with my Silhouette, and I know just who will get this card in the fall for her birthday.

The Silhouette cards come together so quickly. The only challenge on this one was to figure out how to get the sentiment on the inside. I printed the sentiment on coordinating cardstock on my computer and then used the "stencil" that was left after cutting the card to trace around the shoe. I handcut it and adhered it to the inside. The shoe was cut with white cardstock and then covered with patterned paper on the outside. I hand cut the high heel from more textured cardstock. The Prima flower was colored with a BG11 Copic marker and distressed with chalk inks. Wish I could wear shoes that look like this!

Rinda asked what kinds of adhesive I use on intricate die cuts. On this card, I used the Xyron sticker maker with repositionable adhesive. Frequently I use permanent adhesive, but I knew positioning all these die cuts would take more than one try. On this card, I used my American Craft This to That dotted tape runner. I've never found a tape runner I like as much as this one, so I always have a supply of them in the closet. For the leaf border, I just applied adhesive selectively along the border so some of it appears three-dimensional.

Supplies:
Cardstock:  American Craft & Memory Box
Patterned Paper: "Home Grown" (3 Bugs in a Rug)
Flower:  Prima
Chalk inks: Quick Quotes
Copics

Moxie Fab Border Challenge

I have a more shabby chic card than usual for the current Moxie Fab Border Challenge that ends tomorrow, but I'm quite happy with it. The challenge asks that you use a border in an innovative way. I usually think of borders as going across the card horizontally or vertically, but in this case running the die cut border diagonally proved to be much more pleasing.

 I started with a cream card and die cut the Leaf Border by Lifestyle Crafts from textured cardstock. I decided it needed a dark mat and used my favoriet dotted patterned paper by Bo Bunny. The sentiment is from Just Rite’s “Charmed” die cut with the matching dies from Spellbinders. I  distressed the mat with some chalk ink as well as the three Prima flowers. The green ribbon is from my stash.