Here comes the sun ...

It was a glorious day today.  We went for long walk along a trail that circled a lake at a local metro park.  It was wonderful to feel the warmth of the sun again.  My son was so excited to add a few new birds to his list ... Eastern Bluebird, Song Sparrow, American Wigeon, and the Common Grackle.  Mallards and Wood Ducks have return to the pond in our backyard too.  I'll share some photos here later this week.

I just love how this sweet little bee (Nature Walk stamp set) peeks out from beneath the velvet leaves.  He's perfectly shabby sewn on burlap and layered on a "fussy cut" stamped frame.  I added a pink bead to embellish the center of my crocheted flower and nested it on a pile of pink ribbon.  My tag says Hello in a heartfelt way.

My next card is a birthday affair.  The cake is a sticker, something new for me!  It's part of the Sweet Shop  collection and available for a limited time.  The package came with so many "birthday items" ... I can't wait to make more of this theme!  I created the flower with layers of felt, lace, and a sweet little pink button.

Sale-A-Bration is still going on until the end of March - don't miss this opportunity to earn free merchandise!  My frame and tags on today's posts are from Elementary Elegance ... you can see more here.

We have a busy day tomorrow so I must say Good Night ... and thank you for stopping by!

Autumn

Hello friends. I hope you are enjoying these last days of summer vacation. As much as we are busy making these moments count ... spending our days with the kids ...volleyball, swimming, bike rides ... I do look forward to my favorite time of year, Autumn.  Bundled in a sweater to keep out the chill, the colors of the leaves, campfires and smores ... everything about it is wonderful.  Today's post has me dreaming ... 

I adore the soft feminine look of a handmade doily layered with embellishments and admire the beauty that always inspires me at Midnite Lullabies Studio.  Rebekah's creations are gorgeous, I love each and every one ... I expect you'll agree - just pay her a visit - you'll want to leave a comment or two. 

Polkadot Door Designs gave me the opportunity this week to channel some of that sweet goodness that Rebekah does so well.. The card is Pink Pirouette card stock over which I've layered scraps of print paper and a handmade doily.  I've appreciated many a rainy night lately curled up in a big chair, crocheting these delicate beauties.  It's "busy work" that relaxes me and takes my mind away from the worries of the world for a while.  I've accumulated quite a few and am excited to share them with you.

 
Embellishments are piled on ... a chipboard butterfly (from Merry Medley) and a silk flower with a pearl center along with polka dot ribbon in warm shades of Autumn.  The heart punched tag has layers of stamps from French Foliage and Nature Walk.  The leaves are a mustard color of felt inspired by the felt flowers in this delightful photo collage.   I hope you are chasing your dreams ...
  

Thank you for stopping by - I always enjoy your visits!

Shades of Spring

 
Hello again, friends.  We have a few new inches of snow here today.  Everything is so clean and white.  It's beautiful outside and oh so cozy inside.  I think I'll put my feet up later and crochet a while ... bliss.

Mona's challenge over at CR84FN Color Challenge this week is another beauty.  Shades of spring is what I see ... soft and subtle.  And Rembrandt's quote is so very true - isn't it?  Thanks for sharing, Mona.

My project started with Whisper White cardstock - layered with scraps that coordinated with the challenge palette ... the softness of yellow and shades of green.  If you ever see my garden (perhaps I should post a few photos) - you will see those colors everywhere.  I even dyed some seam binding with Certainly Celery Ink to add yet another glorious green.  All the images are stamped with Basic Grey Classic Ink.  My sentiment came from Sincere Salutations.  The postage mark and script is from a retired set.  That sweet little bee (love him) can be found in Nature Walk.  You've seen other stamps from this same set used here and here and yes ... here too.  I admit  - I am smitten.  And finally, the wonderful image of the Eiffel tower is from the Artistic Etchings stamp set.

The lavender heart is crocheted and an aqua button embellishment tied on with string.  And my green/lavender velvet leaf found the perfect place to be - tucked in securely behind the bow.

Thanks so much for visiting with me.  I hope you enjoyed your stay.

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Spring is calling ...

 
I was very busy today and am so glad that I am able to share a second post with you.  While laundry and cleaning were on my "to do list" ... I was able to sneak away to my craft room for just a bit.  Green is my FAVORITE color and I just had to participate in this weeks color challenge over at The Play Date Cafe.  Just look at this photo ... isn't it wonderful!?  The color is serene ... the water refreshing - I can hear it, can't you?  Tell me it's the sound of snow and ice melting.  With everything frozen here, this waterfall photo is a welcome sight and has me wishing for Spring.  I know it's coming ...

Over at Etsy Inspired they are celebrating the French country vintage and handmade home decor of La Pomme.  Such beautiful things to see there.  Ephemera, tins, sheet music, and these fabulous fruits that became part of my inspiration today ....

So I began with Very Vanilla cardstock as my base and layered on delicious papers from our Botanical Gazette DSP collection.  I am absolutely deeply in love with these papers.  Every sheet is gorgeous.  A delicate white lace is held in place by various sized buttons in shades of green.  Since the inspiration photo calls for gold, I added a piece of left-over mesh along the bottom - perfect for my little bird to rest.

An old piece of wide twill was used for ribbon.  I added a pearl and a silver bead to a green decorative pin.  My sentiment is stamped in Always Artichoke Classic Ink and cut out with the Jewelry Tag Punch.  It's small, sweet, and just the right size for little words of happiness.

My bird is obviously not a "Michigan-der".  I am not aware of any feathered friends this shade of green in Michigan.  Perhaps he's here visiting from down south?  I stamped him in Jet Black StazOn and colored him with various Classic Ink pads.  Since the Classic Inks are water based and the StazOn is not, I was able to use an Aquapainter and it worked beautifully ... allowing me to blend and shade.  I should tell you I used a watercolor paper to be sure I could apply water without damaging the paper itself.  This little friend of mine is from the Nature Walk stamp set and I have been using these images a lot lately ... but I guess I don't have to tell you that.  Sylvia has a gorgeous vintage card on her site that also uses this sweet set.  Be sure to leave her a comment when you stop by!

Again, thank you for all your kind comments.  I enjoy reading every one - your words mean so much.  Have a wonderful evening!

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Every day is wonderful with you, Bert

 
It has been a wonderful day. We just returned from seeing Mary Poppins at the Detroit Opera House. What a fantastic production! My son was humming "A Spoonful of Sugar" on the way home and there's nothing like a rousing chorus of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (yep, had to look that one up) to make the drive fun!

My post today is inspired by the Design Team over at the Colour Q. This scarf is gorgeous and so are the colors. Don't you agree?

Crumb Cake cardstock served as my card base with Basic Black and Very Vanilla layers. The Distressing Essentials Kit created a vintage look on the vanilla shade. "Nature Walk" is a wonderful is a new stamp set available in January. The set includes this fabulous birdcage, eggs, and plate number ... there's more and I can't wait to show you in future posts! My branch is stamped in Old Olive Classic Ink.  The cage and eggs are in Basic Grey Classic Ink.  It's not a color I use often but I must admit it looks wonderful on this bird cage!  My paper is from the Love Letter collection which I adore.  I added tulle to the ribbon and included a fabulous button.

Apple Blossoms (Hostess Set) has this lovely sentiment (stamped in Basic Black) that fit perfectly over my row of eggs.  Finally, adding Basic Pearl Jewels to the tag just seemed right for this card.

Thanks for spending time with me today ... I hope you enjoyed your visit!


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