Classic Canatara

I was down there in July with my brother and family on a lovely evening and the light was warm and soft. The view on the water towards Port Huron hasnt changed in 40 years. Classic.

The papers on this layout are Caprice (Close to my Heart) and Desert Sand Carstock . I can sometimes do things Nice and Simple. I used a five inch strip of striped paper across the top on both sides and added the polka dots. I love how simple it looks and how it sets off Sheri's bright blue shirt.

Chloe turned 17

Chloe ended up having 3 friends over for pizza and Dairy Queen ice cream cake on her birthday.
She posed for a few pictures with her friends, and with me.

I wanted her birthday layout to match the card I made her , and added lots of bling to it : charms, clear buttons, mini buttons, jewels, sassy strands , Stickles, gel pen.

Oh, and... I got to use Peggy N.'s cuttlebug.... thanks Peggy!

I hope and pray that Seventeen is a good year.

Baby Girl Card Caddy and Romper Cards

OHHH I had fun this afternoon after Rick went home. Down to the basement to make four more cards for Kelly and a nicer caddy. Using pattern paper for the scallop trim on the romper was a good choice. I am really in a groove with the colour palette at the moment.

I used Blush, and Taffy for the light orange along with pale grey and green. Stamps are from Close to my Heart: Be True : Girl , stitched flowers, and June Stamp of the Month : With Love : small flowers and hearts on romper. The ribbon handle is Close to my Heart.

Happy Birthday to my Daughter Chloe

Chloe is turning 17 on Monday... going on 7 or 27 depending on her viewpoint. Certainly this has been a challenging year in parenting but I see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. She is doing her final year of high school . If she can get a scholarship and get into Fanshawe College I will be so happy for her.

I made up this card using Be True (ctmh acrylix) : U R smart caring generous special kind beautiful. I used metallic silver CS to matt the Bazill papers . I stamped U R in chocolate and outlined it with a black marker and added clear Stickles. The flowers were cut out from a glossy pattern paper and highlighted with stickles . The rhinestone brads were a gift from Julia H. (part of my seriously good stuff hoard) On the inside it says Happy Birthday . I may add a few more tiny silver rhinestones. This card is all about the bling, not the artwork.

I hope she likes it!

She is thinking of inviting people over to the pool tomorrow afternoon. She doesnt want to have a "birthday party" since she is an older teen. We have a firepit here they are welcome to use since I stocked up on wood on purpose. We will see!

Special Friend Baby Card

More gift cards made with my step-daughter Kelly in mind. I tried to make these as feminine and whimsical as I could. I glued punch out flowers in a pastel print on the white circle behind the elephant to give it some texture. The small white flower is pop-dotted.

Stamps used are Close to my Heart July Stamp of the Month : Life's a Jungle (flower, elephant) and Be True (stitches, special friend)\

I am enjoying this stamp set despite my inclinations to stay away from "cute" because it just fits the bill for this particular purpose.

The monkeys are coming... and possibly alligators....

a smile for you

lifted this joke from a scrappers website...
A man wakes up in the hospital, bandaged from head to foot. The doctor comes in and says, 'Ah, I see you've regained consciousness. Now, you probably won't remember, but you were in a pile-up on the freeway. You're going to be okay, you'll walk again and everything, but..... Something happened. I'm trying to break this gently, but the fact is, your willy was chopped off in the wreck, and we were unable to find it.' The man groans, but the doctor goes on, 'You've got $9000 in insurance compensation coming to you, and we have the technology now to build you a new willy that will work as well as your old one did - better in fact! But the thing is, it doesn't come cheap. It's $1000 an inch.' The man perks up at this.

'So,' the doctor says, 'it's for you to decide how many inches you want. But it's something you'd better discuss with your wife. I mean, if you had a five inch one before, and you decide to go for a nine incher, she might be a bit put out. But if you had a nine inch one before, and you decide only to invest in a five incher this time, she might be disappointed. So it's important that she plays a role in helping you make the decision.' The man agrees to talk with his wife.

The doctor comes back the next day. 'So,' says the doctor, 'have you spoken with your wife?' 'I have,' says the man. 'And has she helped you in making the decision?' 'She has,' says the man. 'And what is it?' asks the doctor.

'We're getting a new scrap room.'

Card Caddy

This card caddy folds open like a book with pockets to hold 6-8 cards and envelopes . I made up gift tags too.

I whipped it up in a snap with very little difficulty. To enlarge the image of the template, click on the photo. The template is taken with permission from Aaron Brown

http://www.aaronsbooth32.blogspot.com/

I was able to use some scraps and stickease that were beautiful but otherwise going unused from my Floral Tapestry collection.

Another gift ... for someone lucky!

my latest attempt at painting in watercolour

Okay I realise that this blog has been for paper crafts ... but as I foray into the realm of real art, I wanted to post my attempts. The scene is from a photo taken at Lake of Bays last year.

Watercolour is a real challenge, and I find the process very enjoyable and relaxing. Dad and I headed to the gallery in Grand Bend to take a colour course with Mary Abma yesterday.

The 7 hour class went by yesterday in a flash and I didnt want to stop painting at 4 pm.

Also pictured are Mary with her work ( isnt it beautiful?) and Dad in front of a triptych he hung for

Mary yesterday.

Baby Themed Note Cards

Well.... we hear that my step-daughter Kelly is expecting a baby girl in November!!
This will be the first grandchild for my ex and both my teens become aunts and uncles for the first time.

So.....I am busy making baby themed note cards.

I used July Stamp of the Month : Life's a Jungle (Close to my Heart) and just coloured in the images lightly with a waterbrush dipped in some ink from the lid on the ink pad.

At first I didnt like this stamp set.. cute is not me anymore. But these images grow on you... and they are PERFECT for baby themed note cards.

Had fun with the ribbon corners, waxy flax tied buttons and a little Stickles glitter.

I plan to make 4 pink hippos and 4 purple monkey cards to go with the 4 blue lions and give them to Kelly next week for her birthday.

first artwork post ... by my brother Steve

Ladies can you imagine? My brother Steve got interested in making cards while watching me help my neice Jacqueline this evening. The results from Jacqueline's cards are just stunning. She mastered the swipe and drag inking technique in no time flat and made good use of colour variety. Enjoy!

You Tube stamping tutorials

Nona Pearl of CTMH has added several video tutorials both to her blog and to You Tube.
They are of professional quality. This one has the June stamp of the month on Dimensional Elements (floral Shapes)
Pretty interesting.
I am going to play with the idea and post later.
HAPPPY JULY, everyone!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70e2eY3WxNA