Happy November!

Hi again ... it's good to be back so soon!  I've enjoyed this past weekend staying lazy at home and playing with my papers.  Tomorrow is a day out with my daughter since she has the day off from school.  A bit of shopping, lunch, a stop at the craft store ... I'm looking forward to some quality time (just us girls).  I treasure these days because I know they pass so quickly.  She's already talking about colleges and I just can't bear to think of her gone.

On to happier thoughts ... I hope these make you smile.

I'm still working on my photography skills.  There is certainly room for improvement.  How do you take your photos?  Do you use a photo tent?  Do you decorate your background?  How about camera settings?  What one do you use?  There are so many I get confused.  How about editing software?  What attributes do you work with .. Contrast, Sharpen, Crop?

Linda R and Cherry are incredible photographers.  I absolutely LOVE how they put together their scenery and capture just the right angle and lighting.  It makes me "feel" the photo rather than just "see" it.  They are both amazing ... stop by their blogs and I'm sure you'll agree.

Good night.

A Chill in the Air

We have nothing planned this weekend.  That's right ... NOTHING!  It's glorious!  There are few things better than hanging out at home with the wind whistling outside a fire in the fireplace and you're still in your pajamas at 1 o'clock in the afternoon.  Am I right?

How about another "wintery" card?  Created with scraps of Christmas colors, a stamped image and greeting, and a bit of lace and ribbon.  I'm tempted to make a trip to my local craft store but to be honest ... I have sooo much stuff now!  You know how it is, "just one more die set" or "gosh, I need more beads".  I'm trying hard to resist and still wearing my pajamas helps!  

Late night posting ...

Hi everyone ... perhaps I should re-introduce myself?  It's been so long since I've stopped by.  It's never intentional ... my absences.  I get busy, distracted, always something to do or somewhere I need to be.  I haven't forgotten about my little blog - many days I've hoped for a moment to spare for a quick post.  It's late today (way past my bedtime) and I'll be brief ... just stopping by to share a few greetings that have come together lately.

Thanks for stopping by today ... good night!

Pumpkins, Bats, and Owls

This month has been filled with birth announcements and birthdays ... two wonderful reasons to celebrate!  Another celebration is the upcoming Halloween holiday.  I just love the colors and the spooky chilly feel of Halloween.  I loved getting dressed up (usually in my older brother's band uniform) and trick-or-treating with my Dad.  It was always cold and blustery - at least that's the way I remember it - and we'd walk hand-in-hand from house to house.  It felt both scary and exhilarating to be out after dark.  He'd stand at the curb with his flashlight while I ran up to the door.  I knew he'd always be there ... waiting.  Knowing that I could count on that security was what made the night all the better.

Here's a card created with a sweet crocheted owl and some seasonal colors.  Combining scraps, some hand-dyed seam binding, a couple decorative pins, and other touches made this "spook-tacular" layout.  Sorry - I just had to do that.

I hate to be so short today but it's late.  Thanks for stopping by ... I'll be back soon with a couple Christmas creations!

Home again ...

It's good to be home.  An extended vacation in the Blue Ridge Mountains was heavenly.  What a gorgeous area of our country.   I certainly can see us retiring there someday.  Our days were filled with hikes up the mountains and visits to the local waterfalls.  A trip to the Biltmore House (I made them go) and white-water rafting (they made me go) were both fabulous too.  But ... it's good to be home.

Here's a sweet bird inspired card in shades of green made just for you.  I layered some crocheted flowers and topped them with a felt flower ... all stitched together with embroidery floss.  Papers from my scrap drawer coordinated nicely with the felt, dyed seam binding and velvety leaves.

You may recognize the tag sentiment from an earlier post using Tea Shoppe.  My little bird image is from a set called Papaya Collage.  Thanks for stopping by and spending some time with me ...

Autumn?

Another weekend behind us.  Thursday and Friday rain showers were a blessing - it's been so dry here and the sprinklers just couldn't keep up.  Saturday a light drizzle ... the perfect day to curl up with a great book.  What are you reading?  Sunday was bright and sunny without the high temperatures.  Is Autumn just around the corner?  My favorite time of year featuring my favorite color combinations.  I'll have to pull out my Autumn stamps and papers for my next posting.

I finally tried to sew on a paper butterfly ... something that's been on my "list of things to try".  It's quite a long list with all the inspiration I see posted on your wonderful blogs.  I try to attempt something new with each project - it's exciting to see the results.  Scraps from the drawer in pretty shades of blue, a touch of warm brown (Four Frames), a sweet teacup (Tea Shoppe) and of course polka dots.  All layered on a crocheted doily - created while enjoying a quiet moment.  It's funny how I enjoy working with blues.  You won't find any blues in my house nor in my closet.  But when it comes to creating something special from the heart ...  I don't know of another color that provides such comfort and softness.

I hope this inspires you to try something new ... and thank you for stopping by!

Reunions

A wonderful family reunion filled our hours today.  It's always so good to see my brothers again - wishing all of them could have been there.  Cousins I had not spoken to in years ... the miles separate us and each with our lives filled with "busy".  Catching up with dear sweet Aunts that I have such beautiful memories of.  What a blessing to just sit and relax.  I didn't once think about all the things on my "to do" list.  No worries about "got to get groceries" or "there's a pile of laundry at home" or "I need to work on that presentation due Monday".  No ... not today.  Today was spent listening when my Aunt talked about her grown children fondly remembering them at ages 6 and 8.  Today was spent listening to my cousin tell me about fishing and swimming with my brothers years before I was born.  Today was spent hearing about my Dad and being reminded how wonderful he was.  Today was spent counting my blessings.

I have a sweet ballerina card to share with you ... custom made for a dear friend.  I just love this crocheted heart pattern.  It's the perfect size.  A cute crocheted flower with button helps to break up to amount of pink.  One of my paper flowers (this one with a pearl center) works well with velvet leaves and dyed seam binding.  Two stamped and fussy cut frames are part of my shabby layers.  The smaller frame is from Forever Young and the larger frame beneath it all is from Papaya Collage.  I also used the polka dot stamp from Four Frames ... love it!  And super easy to cut with the Decorative Label Punch.

It's been a good day and I hope you enjoyed yours.  Thank you for stopping by and spending some time with me!