random reflections

Polka Dots: Round Two

I have another card for the Less is More Challenge, "Polka Dots," this week. It uses the same paper pack as the last card, but a different design.

So, once again, a piece of Silver Luxe paper from Papertrey Ink, this time with a sentiment in silver, die cut from the Wet Paint series (the stamped sentiment as well.) I finished it off with three enamel dots from My Mind's Eye. I love these card size paper packs which make for a quick, but lovely, card.

This angle gives you a better view of the shimmer of the card stock and the die cut. 

SNAP: Easter

Celebrating Easter in Chicago is always fun. Sarah's church in Winnetka is lovely, and the service is always beautiful. Caleb's Cherub Choir sang during the service, and the weather was good enough that the Easter egg hunt could be held outside. When we got home from lunch, Caleb got the first of eight clues (drawn by his talented father) for a scavenger hunt to find his Easter basket. He couldn't wait to begin. I have lots of great photos which will eventually show up in my project life pages, but for now here's a collection for Helena's meme: SNAP.

We're spending today in the city. For all our trips to Chicago, we usually spend all our time on the North Shore. There's an exhibit at the Art Institute I'm anxious to see, and I'm hoping to get to a few other sights as well. The weather is somewhat iffy, so we'll see how it goes.

 

Less is More: Polka Dots

This week's challenge at Less is More is Polka Dots. I'm a huge fan; I just bought a cute hat in Florida and the initial draw was the black and white polka-dotted ribbon on the band. I'm also a fan of Papertrey Ink's Silver Luxe patterned paper pack, which makes for a quick and easy card:

A gold die cut of "Swoosh" and one stamp from the same set, a little heart from an old punch, and it's done. It's hard to see the silver from this angle, so here's another look.

Hope your Easter weekend was a good one! We got sunshine and warm temperatures for the egg hunt after church, but it turned cloudy and rainy around dinner time. I'll be back with pics later this week.

 

Easter Crafting

Before I had grandchildren, I don't think I did much Easter crafting, but now it's lots of fun. Two of these cute bunny boxes work for the current Card Concept Challenge, "Naturally Pink," so I thought I'd post them a couple days early. All three of them are too young to be visiting my blog, so no surprise will be ruined.

 

When I saw the cute projects done by the design team at Papertrey Ink for this set, "Bunny Basket," released in February, I couldn't resist. I die cut the bunny from felt, used some Black Enamel Accents for the eyes, a Copic marker for some pink cheeks, and pom-poms from Michaels for the tails.

The sentiment is also from "Bunny Basket" stamped on a "Double-ended Banner" die. The patterned paper for the Easter eggs came from the Simon Says March kit from Carta Bella ("Spring.) The "grass" was cut with Martha Stewart Fringe Scissors from Simply Chartreuse paper. Everything was layered on a Spring Rain circle cut with Simon Says "Stitched Circles." It all got put on a pillow box made with the Papertrey Ink die from Lovely Lady (a great new pink paper) and tied with ribbons from my stash. Inside I put some chocolate eggs and some cash. Two of the grandchildren are definitely old enough to appreciate a little spending money.

Two pink boxes for the little girls, and a yellow one from another new Papertrey color, "Bright Buttercup," for Caleb. 

Not very springlike here today. There's a strong wind blowing, and snow flurries are in the forecast. Later this week, temperatures in the 60's are forecast. Typical western New York spring weather.

SNAP: The Lions of Longbeach

Helena's meme, SNAP, causes me to be on the lookout for opportunities to make photographic connections. Here's this week's edition, and you can find others right here.

There was a small shopping plaza a little over a mile from our condo on Longboat Key, and I walked down there several times to mail letters, make dinner reservations, and pick up a few items. I was interested that the home owners along this stretch of the highway seem to favor lions as decorative elements. I had a collection of five to choose from for SNAP, but ended up using only three so that I could include one that stands outside The Ringling Museum in Sarasota. He was just too beautiful to be left out. (#1 in the collage)

It occurs to me (a few days late) that some of these are items for one of the alternatives for the Winter Scavenger Hunt (an animal statue). I didn't worry about finding the alternates once I found all 21 items on the list.

We got home Sunday night after a long, 12 hour drive. That wasn't the original intent, but Saturday night when we realized it was just 12 hours we decided to go for it. The weather was great, and there wasn't a lot of traffic. No snow anywhere to be seen, so that was a blessing! It's chilly here, but no complaints. Last year there were still several feet of snow in our yard when we got back. This year the daffodils are peeking up through the soil. Big improvement!

 

Five in Five: Myakka River State Park

Sunday we met Tracy's high school friend and her husband for a boat tour and walk in the Myakka River State Park, about an hour from where we are staying in Florida. The photo opportunities on the boat were not frequent enough to get five in five minutes, but afterwards we walked out to an observation deck next to the weir and I was able to capture 5 in 5.

The first photo shows an inlet to the fresh water lake (behind me) where there were a variety of birds congregated.

This is a wood stork, not as sharp as I would have like.

A white egret in the air, and a blue heron on the shore.

I'm not sure what kind of snake this is, but he was having a feast with the hundreds of minnows swimming along the shore.

This was taken when I turned around toward the lake which is filled with alligators. I took several photos of the alligators sunning on the shores of the lake, but this photo might be my favorite.

I'm linking up to Sandie's Five in Five for March with thanks for hosting another great photography meme.

Happy Birthday, Tracy!

It's St. Patrick's Day, but more importantly in this house, it's Tracy's birthday! It's the second year we've celebrated in Florida, and it's been a really lovely day. It started out foggy.

But by 10:30 it had cleared up.

The resort where we're staying had a party in his honor. (Well, actually in honor of St. Patrick, but it works out the same.)

We actually celebrated with dinner last night at The Waterfront on Santa Maria Island. We celebrated there last year, and the food and service were outstanding. Fortunately, nothing had changed. 

Tonight some of us are eating left-overs, and Tracy is picking out a couple of items and a dessert from Harry's Deli up the road. We had dinner at Harry's Restaurant the first night we were here, and it was also excellent. I made Tracy's birthday card before we came, using Papertrey Ink's "Uncorked" stamps and dies, as well as a few MME's enamel dots.

And a closer look.

I forgot to take a photo of the inside, but the sentiment is as good as the one on the front:   "Love is like wine. You know it's good when it gets better with time." Perfectly true.

One more day in paradise, and then we're headed back to the cold and snow. Hopefully, not too much snow, but the forecast calls for snow showers in both North Carolina and Virginia!

 

 

SNAP: The Rodeo

When we come to Florida in March, we always try to find something to do about halfway between where we're staying and where my mother-in-law spends the winter. This year we decided on Arcadia, FL, where the All-Florida Rodeo was being held. It drew cowboys from all over the country and as far as Manitoba in Canada. Although it couldn't quite compare to the Calgary Stampede, it was lots of fun and the competition was very good.

There was cattle roping, bronco riding, entertainment by a very talented clown, and barrel racing (the only event for women). These photos are a testament to our great seats and the power of the iPhone camera. I took my "big" camera to the rodeo only to discover that the battery was nearly dead, and I'd left the spare battery at home. I was delighted to get these photos with my phone.

I'm linking up, as always, with Helena and off to see what other collections have been curated this week.

A Nautical Birthday Card

While we're enjoying the beach, I thought it would be a good time to share a nautical card I sent a friend for his birthday. He's the owner of a large boatyard in the Chesapeake Bay, so nautical works for him any time. I purchased this WPlus9 set several years ago, since Tracy is, at heart, a sailor. But after we sold our boat, it never seemed quite appropriate. 

The little notebook I keep with all the details of what I used is home, so I'm not positive exactly what products I used. I started with a Pure Poppy card, and added a piece of patterned paper from one of my many 6X6 paper pads, and then added the die cuts and stamps from WPlus9 and Simon Says. The stamp set by WPluse9is no longer available, but the dies, "Nautical Notions", are.

I used a piece of glitter paper from a pack from Michaels to die cut the anchor. It was perfect, and a Simon Says "Stitched Circle" for the background. The sentiment is from a Papertrey Ink set, and the twine from a vintage twine holder I picked up at a shop about a year ago.

One week down, and one week to go at the beach. I've managed to finish two books, and am now enjoying two issues of Uppercase, a Canadian magazine Melissa recommended awhile ago. It's subtitle is "for the creative and the curious." I've already got a long list of ideas in "Notes" on my iPhone from just the first issue, and am very impressed with the breath and depth of the articles. Long walks on the beach, some time at the pool, and lots of reading time equals a pretty perfect vacation!

(The new banner is a photo of the first sunset we saw from our patio a week ago. I won't be able to keep it up for long, but the snowy scene from the previous banner just seemed wrong.)

A Bit of Green for Two March Birthdays

My brother-in-law and my niece's husband both celebrate March birthdays, so the Simon Says Challenge this week for a "bit of green" fit the bill perfectly. 

I started with PTI's Enclosed Star die and stamp, cutting twice, once in green (Simply Chartreuse) and once in black and piecing them together. A few black enamel dots finished it off. Pretty quick and easy.

For the next card, I switched out the patterned paper (from the same pack).

Here's a closer look:

And the  a peek at the inside:

Linking up to Simon Say's Wednesday Challenge.