My 'Garden'

I love these old wine boxes. I have been planting in them since we moved into this house. They stack up differently every year. And, every year I fill them with different blooms and herbs. They are right at our front door and offer a cheery greeting to all. This year I have some licorice plants, chocolate and orange mint and lots of blooms I don't know the names of. ;) I have some old broken clay pots that I 'planted' in the ground and filled with strawberries and more blooms around the yard. Our firepit area is surrounded by blue, purple and yellow pansies. We will be revamping that area this weekend. When it is done I will share more pics. I hope these little pretties will help brighten your day. It is 68 degrees here right now and GORGEOUS!! So I am off to play outside. :) Cheers!!









Look what else was bloomin'. This is a template by Lauren Meader for Papertrey Ink. It is the 'Let's do lunch' template. I used some My Mind's Eye Paper. And the cute crochet flower. I MADE THAT!!! Yes, lil' ol' me. That is my first crochet project ever. Check out Nichole's tutorial at Papertrey and try it yourself.

Some NEW stuff! Finally!!

Here are a few cards I have made this week.

This cute little duck and 'splish,splash' are part of a stamp set by Close To My Heart called Makin' Waves. I love it! I cut the wave frame with my Cricut, added a bit of sparkle and bits. Voila! A summery cool card.
With dad's day right around the bend I thought this would make a great card/gift card holder for a fishin' fella. ;) This set is also from CTMH. It is called Beary Best. The sentiment is from a Basic Grey holiday set. I think I need a cute little fishing lure to hang from the button. But, shhh.. don't tell the guys I said they're cute. ;)

These little (3.5 x 2.5 inches) are made with a few new items. Martha Stewart's ice cream punch, Hero Arts new What's the scoop set and a few dollar stamps from Impression Obsession. I had so much fun making these little goodies. Did you see the piece of fabric? Have a great day!

Sorry the lighting wasn't so great when I shot these pics.

Another trip up Denali

Just in case you are interested in following along. I updated the link on the right side toolbar. He is guiding his second group of climbers, this summer, up Denali right now. Click on the Mountain Trip logo and you can follow their climb. Hoping they have a safe and successful summit. Love ya Rob. :)

Teacher 'Thank You' Gifts

I cannot thank my kids teachers enough for all of the time and energy they give. My kids have really been blessed with some amazing teachers. :) These little goodies will be going to all of the staff and teachers at Miss M's preschools (10 total). As soon as I saw this new October Afternoon paper I knew it was a must have for the teachers. It is so sweet and fresh. Love it! Inside the pocket is a Godiva chocolate bar (some milk and some dark). A little yummy for their summer vacation. ;) I'll take another photo when they are all done. Have a great day!

Click on the photos to enlarge them. You can really see all the details that way.

Hoot 'n' Holler

Card front

Card inside

My friend Becky let me ink up some of her new Kim Hughes stamps. Some of them she hasn't even used yet. Now that is friendship!

Perfect timing since graduation is this week for our high schools. I love how simple, yet detailed this card turned out. I hope the recipient likes the card as much as she'll love the moolah inside. ;)

Another favorite saying of mine (and maybe it is more for the parents than the kids, you know what I mean) 'the tassle was worth the hassle'. :)

Stampin' Up! paper, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Nestabilities Dies, Kim Hughes stamps, Xyron adhesive, Bazzill brad, DMC embroidery floss, All Night Media pop dots, Memento ink and Copic Markers.

Happy Mother's Day

It was a pretty uneventful day and very relaxing. My hubby and dad made dinner and my son made breakfast. How sweet. The weather was beautiful today and I have just been puttering around the house and yard doing as I want. ;) Tomorrow, back to real life. :) My brother and his girlfriend came in for dinner tonight also. It is so great to see them and chat. He leaves tomorrow morning for his first guide trip of the season. He is a lead guide for Mountain Trip. He will be guiding a team up Mt McKinley (Denali) the tallest peak in North America. I have put a link to the Mountain Trip Blog that will be covering his team's climb specifically. Not only do I wish them all a safe climb, but to have fun also. Rob is an amazing man. He is so full of life, giving of himself to everyone he knows and quick to make a friend with those he just met. Love ya Rob!

Me, mom and Rob.
The end of a long, relaxing and casual day.

Celebrating Unity's 1st Birthday

Unity Stamp Company just turned 1! I am playing along with a challenge they posted last week. This cute cafe window image is from April's kit of the month. What a deal that is. :) This is my entry for the Unity 'FIRST' challenge. I thought a door hanger with pocket would make a sweet good morning goody for a friend. How fun to find this little goody of granola mix (w/chocolate) and to coffee mixes.

The stamp is from Unity's Kit of the Month April 2009, paper is My Minds Eye (Bloom & Grow), the door hanger is from Close To My Heart, adhesive is Xyron, ink is Memento, printed sentiment from computer'Lucida Handwriting' font, Fiskar cutter and scissors, pearls are Kaisercraft, Ribbon from Making Memories.

Fun with Papertrey

Nichole at Papertrey is hostessing a very fun challenge. Be inspired by PTI's amazing design team and come up with a project of your own using mainly PTI products. Twist my arm to play along. ;) Anyway, I am always so inspired by Lauren's Timeless Templates (yes I will be playing along with that challenge also) , Nichole's clean simplicity, Melissa's sweetness and by Michelle Wooderson's style (love the red & white polka dots in her inspiration piece, such a whimsical touch to the floral theme and a real pop of color) and all of the color combos.

Anyhoo, here is my very own template creation using the divine stamps, ink, paper & ribbonfrom PTI. I was thinking about how to design a terrarium type box the other day and this is what I came up with. Then, I read Nichole's challenge and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to let the pros see it and hear their opinions.
Can you see the sweet little strawberry plant? It is out of my garden. Some of my plants are just peeking thru the dirt. :)
I have many more ideas for uses of this template so I will be sharing more later this week. Thanks for taking a peek at my project.

Chicks on Sticks

Have you ever been to Bakerella's blog? NO! You must run there now. See the link in my sidebar. She has the most amazing cupcake pops you have ever seen. This is where this cute little chick pop came from. (See his sweet little 'feather' curl on top of his little noggin'?) I took the plunge and made some for Marissa's preschool teachers at NHPS. The matching card is a stamp from SU! It was a match made in crafty heaven. :) The Papertrey aquamist ribbon matched perfect with the Memory Box background paper. And I love the aqua and yellow combo.

Another cool blog to share

Check out http://www.favecraftsblog.com/ forall types of crafty ideas and chances to win some great prizes. There is a chance to win a Fiskars heart stamp set and heart punch going on right now. Check it out! :)