Alfresco

This is a remake / copy of one of my favorite card designs!

I was down to my last one, so I replenished my basket with 8 more of these today.

I used Solo T and Alfresco acrylic stamps, Moon Doggie paper, outdoor denim and sunflower cardstock, and chocolate ribbon rounds to create these cards today.

Live Inspired

I love this romantic looking stamp set ... I had to have it because of the bird ! I think it would also make a great Christmas card using dark greens... However, in this case, it is done in neutral colours in a variety of 6 cards featuring: Congratulations (wedding) and Thinking of You (sympathy) and Happy Birthday!

I made them as a gift for my good friend Carol using a recylced and redecorated plastic envellope as a gift bag. We are going to her pool for lunch and a swim this week.

papers: Silhouette by Close to my Heart (thanks Julia for the mini stash)

Bliss Onesie Cards

Lots of babies are coming our way...

Yummy mummys to be are: Kelly! Ainslea! Katie! Angela!

I got to work on my depleted supply of onesie cards, making 4 for girls and 4 for boys.

I really like the patterned paper on the girl's cards, and found an adorable use for those tiny safety pins Close to my Heart makes.

The template is SCS ... I believe... all credit goes to Jen Beaubien for teaching us this card a few years back.Thanks Jen!

amor

This layout is about our dining romance at night in Mexico.

We enjoyed wonderful food in a gorgeous atmosphere!

I did a lot of marker blending with a watercolour brush on the chipboard title (amor).

Papers : Moon Doggie

Stamped Heart Image: Soul Mates Word Puzzle

brackets: irresistables chipboard

chipboard: Dimensional Elements Simple Alphabet

all materials are Close to My Heart

Majestic Blue / Bo Bunny 9 Square layout

Okay... I had fun on both of these... and let me know if I am overdoing the "squares" but as I explained to Beth, linear works for me. And being a paper addict, I could showcase some different textures here that blend in well with the ocean shots. The bleached wood with the surfboard just does it for me!

The photos again are from the Mayan Riviera , showing the beautiful coral beach. Our beach was almost overrun by coral. By saying almost, I hesitate to condemn it completely. Coral has its pluses and minuses... it is amazing to look at, and attracts gorgeous fish which are wonderful to view as you snorkel, but it is tricky to walk in on when it is close to the shore. Other than that, our resort was perfect in every way. I had more difficulty than Rick, but am having a total hip replacement August 16 that should eliminate my mobility issues the next time we take a resort vacation!

The first page is almost collage like, and was inspired by the Splendor layout by Close to my Heart. I am liking leaving some open white space too.

Materials:

Close to my Heart Majestic Blue papers

Bo Bunny chipboard and papers

Hero Arts paper flowers

Close to my Heart craft buttons and Journey Journalling Spots

Florabunda

Florabunda is a type of rose with many blooms... but to me, here, it means Floral Abundance.

Our resort was very well maintained and exquisitely landscaped.

I love the way palm fronds move , glisten in the light, and wave in the night. We had some spectacular giant ones in Mexico right outside our hotel room balcony . The colours were surreal: the bright orange and blue painted buildings were lit up at night to contrast with the pink and green foliage.

Beth joined me tonight and inspired this layout with a plan she had downloaded from the internet and printed off. Coloured resist Chipboard is from Close to My Heart . I also tried my new scallop punch that I bought at Lasting Impressions.

Blending markers on an acrylic Block

I forgot who showed me this tip, but Beth used it tonight . Beth wanted to colour a chipboard butterfly fuschia but I didnt have that exact shade. I suggested that she load a block with orchid pink and then add pansy purple to deepen it, and then colour the chipboard with the lighter coloured pink marker dipped into the mixture from the block. The results were a bit like batik in the irregular way the colour blended .