Cheery Tulips

The last couple of weeks I have been MIA on here. In life right now I am in a position of reevaluating what my priorities are. I am also job hunting which is never really an easy task. With all that going on I haven't had the energy to be creative.

So today I am not sharing any of my work, but I am sharing a picture that my mom sent me. This is their backyard. Check out the gorgeous flowers! Tulips are my favorite flower (with lilacs being a close second I think).

Altered frame

Sorry I didn't post all week. I wasn't feeling well and I was subbing for the little kiddos all week. Let me tell you subbing the week before spring break is NOT an easy task! ;)

I wanted to share a frame I altered a couple of months ago. I know I shared the picture before, but I made a frame for it so I am sharing it again.

I used Basic Grey paper for this. The paper is from the Romani line. The striped is called Pooro and the one I used on the flower was Collico.

I started off by painting the frame white with acrylic paint and then sanding it to give it a worn look. I think I got this frame from the $1 spot at Target a long time ago. I cut the paper into strips to fit into the indent that the frame had. Making sure the strips were the right size and lining the strips to match took a while, but it was so worth it! The flower was a leftover piece from the centerpieces I made in January. The paper was glued on chipboard and cut with a CuttleBug flower. The tiny flower on top is just the designer paper. I stamped "Charming" (from Amazing to Zany, SU) in Real Red on the flower and I used a ribbon to hang it over the top edge.

This project was easy and fun! It is such a fun way to showcase my niece!

I am trying to catch up on thank you cards, so when I have time to make a card and "thank you" fits with it that is the kind of card it ends up being. Todays card looked really cute in my head, but took me about 5 tries to make. My poor Cool Caribbean paper was begging me not to ruin any more sheets! I have to say this card would have been a LOT easier if I had used a coluzzle to make the circle. (If you don't have a coluzzle RUN to buy one! SU! sells the Circles and ovals I believe).

It is hard to tell what the card really looks like from the scan. There are 2 layers of acetate and then patterned paper behind that. The top layer of acetate lays flat against the card and has the saying in black staz-on and swirls in white staz-on. The layer behind that is attached with a double layer of pop dots and then curled a little also so it doesn't lay flat. The flowers are stamped on that layer in staz-on and kind of float in the background. The strips on the bottom of the front are stickers from a Simply Scrappin' kit from the catalog.

I am going to try to take a real picture with my camera to capture the card better, but you will just have to try to tell from the scan for now. Have a great day!

Baby Congrats

Just wanted to quickly share a card I made with the same layout as yesterday's card. This card doesn't pop as much as yesterday's card, but I am dealing with it ;). I am traveling tomorrow to visit family in northern CA and one of my cousin's just had a baby. This card is going to accompany a couple of really cute baby boy outfits! Baby gifts are so fun to shop

for! Have a great weekend and I will see you early next week.

I feel loved

I forgot to tell you all about my birthday last time I posted. It was GREAT! It is sometimes hard to live so far away from my family because birthdays with my family are a fun event including this delicious cake that is a secret family recipe ;) I have to say though that I felt so loved this birthday! My birthday celebration actually started a month ago when I went home for a short visit. It was exactly a month before my birthday and my family threw me a surprise party. All of my immediate family was there and they invited aunts, uncles and cousins. It was a big and fun bash! On my actual birthday I got a lot of phone calls from family and friends. I even got birthday cupcakes and a birthday cake from friends! Added with all the cards I got--wow I feel so loved and special!

The card I made is a birthday card, but it isn't one I got, it is one I am sending out. It seems I just can't make birthday or thank you cards fast enough!

The flowered paper that I used is Crate paper (I can't remember the name now). The striped paper is from a Simply Scrappin' kit from SU. They just happened to both be sitting out and I noticed they looked really cute together! I punched a 1 1/4" circle in the striped paper and a 1 3/8" inch circle in the Certainly Celery base. On the inside I glued a 1 3/8" circle from the flowered Crate paper. The butterfly on the edge of the circle came from the flowered paper. The "Happy Birthday" is one stamp from the It's Your Birthday SU set.

Things that make me smile

This first card was made and sent to me by my little friends Nickie and Lorie. Isn't it the cutest card ever?!?! These girls are like nieces to me and I love them so much. I don't live near them anymore and I was pleasantly surprised to receive a birthday card from them! The card had the cutest hand written message in it and also came with a message that they wrote and decorated on the computer.

Thanks girls for making me feel so loved!

This next card is from my friend Debbie (aka Bunny) It is so bright and cheery! I don't know if you can see it, but it has glitter on the candles and the star. She used Apricot Appeal and Certainly Celery together...so pretty! I also need Debbie to give me a lesson in tying knots because mine never look that neat!