Birthday Card - Teen

A birthday card for a boy who is becoming a teen shortly.

An olive green card base cut 12"W x 6"T.  Another self closing card. I added some decorative paper to the left hand side of the card. 

I cut a large primitive star with the Sizzix Primitive Star #2 out of gold glitter paper. Adhered with 3D foam tape.

The greeting is a SU Artisan Label offset with green cardstock punchie.

I did add some double sided tape to the flap and closed it with clips so that it can be reused.

Saw his Mom on the 20th.

Card - HB - Watercolor Oak Leaves

A watercolor for a guy who celebrates his birthday this week.

I created a warm watercolor background then let it dry.

I cut one piece for the background of the card, then cut the leaves and acorns from the rest.  

I then added definition to the leaves and acorns with watercolor. Painted the white edges with dark brown watercolor.I added gold accents as well from my new watercolor set.

The card base in dark brown measures 6x12 inches.

A white insert and a length of double sided tape with carrier on the flap.  Ready to go.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

A robin having a bath and a lot of fun in a rain puddle morning.

There were several birds taking advantage of the puddles to splish and splash.

I found some more of the votive holders I bought a while ago for my Advent Wreath/ all year round candle display.  I had a mixture of cobalt and white before.  Now I can make it all white if I want.

Super happy to find these additional holders which gives me flexibility in my decor.

Some veggies from my sister's garden that my niece picked on her way to my place.

Fresh carrots are the best.

Some of the cucumbers are a bit on the large size but I love them too.

A few tomatoes we had for breakfast.

My niece and I had a great time at the ReUse Center and the thrift store. We came home and pulled out all our goodies before we headed out for supper at my sister's house.

Magazines, crafting stuff, each found a fountain pen amongst our tea and snack dishes.

We picked up take out and headed to my sister's house for supper.  Korean was the request of the birthday girl.

My sister had a friend visiting and her husband has been ill and was in hospital.

We talked crafting, life and much more.

It was really nice to spend time with family and friends.

I picked up this wax container at the Thrift store while my niece is visiting.

I thought I could use it when I wanted to wax my thread for stitching.

It is a high quality blend of paraffin wax.  I chose a mild scented one.  From my online research paraffin is the the best so I may try to find a beeswax candle that I can melt and fill this little container.

I was looking for a bin/tote that I could place under the phone table in the living room that would look pretty and disguise the contents.

I found the fabric tote at a thrift store for a couple of bucks, it works with the wood I have in my space.

The baskets were more expensive and now I see this is a better option for sliding on the new floor.  The wicker type basket would have scratched.

Excellent.

 

Card - Birthday - Sunflower

A birthday card for someone special who is coming to visit.  It's been a while and I am looking forward to it.

A bright green linen card stock base in the self closing card style. It measures 6x12 scored at 5.5 and just under 1".

I cut the Spellbinder Sunflower from 2 shades of yellow and the leaf from a deep green. The center from dark brown to which I added gold accents with watercolor metallic gold.

I cut the SU DSP to 5.5 x 5.75" then cut again at 2.5" to create a DSP Split card. I taped the 2 piece together at the back then ran a length of deep green grosgrain ribbon across the join. Then I adhered it to the card front.

I then taped the leaf to the right upper corner, then the sunflower with well placed tape then added 3D foam tape to the center and placed onto the flower.

A white insert and carrier tape on the flap.  I am using a clip on this one so she can reuse the card with a new insert. 

Love it!

Card - Watercolor - Belated Birthday

A large watercolor card for a teen who is heading into her last year of school in the fall.

The birthday was back in April but I got to deliver this card in person and it included a bit of mad money.  There is a big trip coming up in July so it will come in handy.

I used left overs from my senior show entries and cut a piece tall and narrow.

I added circles with a small glass vase dipped the same color that was still sitting o my palette.  How handy!

I then added petals, stems and leaves.

Then a bit of spattering.

I mounted it on a single layer of card stock in Stampin Up Lovely Lilac. 

I added a single sheet of insert on the back and tucked the moola behind it.

Loved the visit with this family.

Belated Birthday

I made this card for a friend whose birthday was in April but I just lost track of it.  

She is here visiting so I will give it to her at supper tonight.

Card base is A2 in Rich Razzleberry with a top fold.

I cut another piece from my larger watercolor paper piece and chose this blue purple section. I cut a Stampin Up Top Note die.

I added a length of Elegant Eggplant grosgrain ribbon wrapped top to bottom on Top Note die and held it in place with a crystal large brad.

I cut large flower in Elegant Eggplant and smaller one in Not Quite Navy and added a small silk all held with a silver mini brad.  The flowers are Tim Holtz - Tattered Flowers.

White insert quarter sheet on the inside.

Card - Trees

This card is for my brother who celebrates a birthday soon.

I chose an Always Artichoke card base. 

The designer paper is from the Adventure Bound set in the 4x6 pack. I trimmed it a little to fit on the A2 card.

I made a slot in the fold with the SU slot punch and pulled a length of wide white grosgrain ribbon through and taped one end and placed a black brad on the other end.

I created a greeting with a Always Artichoke Modern Label punchie layered with a Word Window punchie.  It is adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape on the grosgrain ribbon.

I added a quarter sheet insert.

It is off to make sure it gets to him on time.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I found this scene interesting on my walk the other day.  The sleek glass window is part of an addition to the back of the old historic building.

The brick wall of the old building was reflected in the full glass wall next to it.  This was just fine.

The on second glance I would see the white chairs in the office on the second floor in the brick wall. 

It was an interesting view of new and old and unusual all at once.

This the third book in the Kinsey Millhone series by Sue Grafton.  C is for Corpse. 

Kinsey is a wonderful character which I enjoy spending time with.  This is earlier in the series compared to books I have read which were written with her and her career having been fleshed out a bit more.

This was a small hardcover book so I think shorter in length that of the others I've read.  I have V sitting on my shelf waiting to be read.

Bobby Callahan feels he is in danger. But since his accident and head injury there are pieces of his past that gone. Meeting Kinsey at the gym he decides to hire her to get to the bottom of the mystery of who is trying to kill him.  There is a small red book that may hold a clue but Bobby do not remember who he gave it to for safe keeping. His part time job required him to spend time at an old building on the outskirts of town. It was where archived medical records were kept and a back up for the morgue so it was a bit of a creepy place.  Very shortly after Bobby hires Kinsey he dies in a car accident.  Most folks assume that all interest in the suspicions would be dropped but Kinsey means to see her job done.  

There are twists and turns but eventually the truth comes out and the reason Bobby was killed becomes clear.

My sister and my niece both have great gardens so I came home with a couple of containers of beautiful veggies and fruit.

I'm so glad that my niece's new house has yielded a much better gardening experience for her.  Things are blooming, growing and producing so she is thrilled.

The little tomatoes were delicious.  The new potatoes were enjoyed with onions, mushrooms and sour cream.

Apples were picked by my sister's friend.  She makes canned fruit compote for her breakfasts.

Love garden cucumbers.

The birthday celebration was short but wonderful with seeing people I have not seen in a while. She did not have a great variety of numbers in her stash so her Dad converted her age into Binary.  

That picture will likely raise questions when her grandchildren wonder was grandmas ever 1000 years old.

The black and white Tuxedo cake was delicious and just the right size.

I went to use my sewing machine other day and it looked like it did not work because I turned the switch and no light came on.   It took a minute to figure out it was just the light bulb. I completed the small project without the light.

Off the Fabricland to find a replacement and thank goodness I brought the old one with me because I would have assumed that it was the screw type but it was not.

Now there was the option to buy an LED version of the twist in type for twice the price of the incandescent bulb but likely will last 10 years or so.  I bought the new technology.

I finished this book this morning.  I was feeling exhausted with the driving last week, the trip out of town on Sunday and discouraging news about my place on a couple of fronts.

I just wanted to escape for a bit.

The Choice by Nicholas Sparks was a good book.  I don't like how the relationships in his books seem to whirlwind romances.   But that aside, this was a very good story.

Travis Parker and Gabby Holland are neighbours.  She is new to the town and misses her friends.  Travis steps into the gap and the rest is predictable set of events until the accident.

The question is "How far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?"  Travis make the right choice as difficult as it was for him and his children.

I would recommend the book as it raises questions which need to be pondered.

I am loving the sunflowers everywhere.  It seems to be a good year for them.

My nieces flowers in the front flower bed are 10 feet tall but with very small seed heads.  They may have been competing with the cherry tree for light

This one was taken at the community garden where they are significantly tall as well.

The honey bees were having a good time gathering food.

I expect this head will yield much food for birds later in the season.

Have a good week.

Winter Birthday Card

A birthday for my Dad who celebrates his birthday this week.

I will see him tomorrow.

Dark green A2 card base, spattered with Gleams White acrylic paint.

I cut 3 trees with the Hampton Art Tree thin die.  I chose dark and warm green card stock.

I added a bit of white to the dark one I put in front.

A SU Modern Label punchie greeting in the bottom right adhered with 3D foam tape.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I was up early after the rain the day before and captured these bright chrysanthemums.  I loved the beautiful rain drops on these yellow petals.

They are bunched together in a pot and I managed to find a good angle on this particular one.

Chrysanthemums are wonderful fall flowers.

We really needed the two days of rain and the roads had puddles.

I found robins having fun splish and splashing in the puddles.

McSweeney's began in 1998 as a literary journal, edited by Dave Eggers, that published only works rejected from other magazines. But after the first issue, the journal began to publish pieces written with McSweeney's in mind. Soon after, McSweeney's attracted works from some of the finest writers in the country, including David Foster Wallace, Ann Cummins, William T. Vollmann, and many new talents.

Today, McSweeney's has grown to be one of the country's best and largest-circulation literary journals. The journal is committed to finding new voices, publishing work of gifted but underappreciated writers, and pushing the literary form forward at all times.

McSweeney's publishes on a roughly quarterly schedule, and each issue is markedly different from its predecessors in terms of design and editorial focus.

Issue 15 is also known as the "Icelandic Issue." Printed in Iceland, half of the stories are written by actual Icelandic writers.

I found many of the stories out there.  Love the book art.

I placed in second place in the photography category in the Allied Arts Council Open Art Competition. Check on line shows here.

This shot was taken for the Flickr Weekly Theme Challenge of "centered".

I stacked my vintage White Regency by Myott Meakin dinnerware.  They were placed on a black granite 12x12 inch tile and lit from directly above.

I had to take the shot from direct above as well so placing my tripod and camera was challenging.

I just love the swirls in these plates, saucers and tea cup.

Very happy with this shot and the win.

Today, was the last day of advanced polls. I took advantage of the advanced polls and got my walk in at the same time in the middle of the afternoon.

There was hand sanitizer, plexiglass barriers between me and the check in persons, and there was no one in line.  It took about 3 minutes.  Love it!

It's good to live in a democratic country where I can exercise my right to vote for the leaders of our country.

I found this fox tail on my early morning walk this week.  

I love how the seed head is highlighted against the out of focus background.

The sun was offering wonderful light for this great shot.

This was my nieces birthday cake made by my sister. 

She had a jelly roll cake with oat flour which makes it gluten free.  

The frosting was spectacular.  It is a whipped cream cheese and cream icing topped with coconut.

It draped so beautifully over the layered cake.  The jelly roll layers had vanilla pudding between the layers.  

It is a very versatile dessert because the flavor between the layers could be fruit, chocolate, jam, or jelly.   The coconut could be sprinkles, silver balls, or chocolate curls. 

I made gluten free pancakes for breakfast Sunday morning.  First, Evans cherries, second fresh peaches and the last good old Canadian Maple Syrup.

They were yummy!

The Flickr Macro Monday challenge this week was "smell".  Food, perfume, and nature provide so many options for this challenge.  You can check out my Flickr Photostream (SMDPics) for the shot I submitted.

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #147

and

Mersad who hosts Through my Lens #304

Card Box - HB and Thank You

 Another couple of cards for the box.

I started with designer paper from Echo Park called Hello Spring.  I paired it with a purplish Rich Razzleberry card base.

I added a length of Island Indigo 1/4" satin ribbon along the right hand side.  Taped the ends to the back. I added three deep teal and yellow handmade paper flowers on the left side adhered with tiny yellow brads.

This layer was adhered to the front of the card with double sided tape.  This ensures nothing showing on inside of the card. 

The greeting is a Stampin Up Modern Label punchie color printed.  I added the deep purple punch split in half and adhered to the back offset a bit for it to show up.  This layer was adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

Ready for an August birthday.

The same paper was paired with a Rose Red card base this time.

I added a white grosgrain ribbon across the bottom third of a landscape oriented card.  Then ends taped to the back and then adhered to the card front.

I added an oval color printed greeting in Rose Red and chalked with the same color around the edges.  It was adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

Is resting in the Compassion House box for delivery a little later.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I met my Aunt at the University of Alberta Botanic Gardens this week for a photo trip.  We had to book online due to COVID restrictions and limit our time at the garden.

It is a huge place but we managed to get most of the places within the garden we wanted to visit.

I spent some time in the Japanese Garden.

The White Anemones were blooming and quietly swaying in the gentle breeze. 

We had perfect weather for our visit.  Being in shirt sleeves at 10:00 am.  I did put my sunscreen on as I missed earlier in the week and caught some color.

This was a great book - Woman of a Thousand Secrets by Barbara Wood.

A story of a young girl found in a basket on the ocean.  Adopted and raised on the Caribbean Islands before Europe discovered them.  To help save her father she journeys to the mainland in search of a red flower.  She finds people who look like her - fair and tall. She finds fellow travelers some of which are friends and some are foes. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

It was a week with a special birthday for me.

I shared the day with my sister.  We had a bubble wand, hotdogs and ice cream cake. The best!
 

I received this art for my walls this week.  It is a digital drawing done by my aunt. 

Corvus Brachyrhynchos is  a digital drawing which I thought was wonderful.  It almost looks like a photograph.

I found a frame to put it in and placed it on the shelf in my bedroom.

Since I missed my post last week I finished this book as well.  In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende.  I have read another book of hers in this post.   This one takes place in New York City during a big snow storm.  A gentleman of a certain age has an adventure with a lady from Chile and young woman from Guatemala.  Each of them have to venture out of their comfort zones to address the crisis in which they find themselves. 

They grow as people, become closer almost family and stay true to their values in difficult circumstances.

I enjoyed the book.

The challenge for Flickr Macro Monday this week was matchstick.  Not a very broad subject matter.

You can check out my Flickr Photostream (SMDPics) to see the image I submitted.

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #136 and Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #294.

Have a great week!

Birthday Tag

I made a tag for a joint gift for my niece who has a birthday in April.

I started with the QuicKutz Sewing Machine 4x4 thinlit.  The die cuts all the pieces which needed to be assembled.  It meant cutting once for each of the 4 colors - the body of the machine from olive green, feed dog plate, pressure foot and buttons in black, the other adjustment buttons in taupe, the spool of thread in black and red.  

I placed a piece of packing tape on a hard surface and slowly placed the pieces in place sticking them to the tape.  Once all the pieces were in place I used an exacto knife to trim the excess tape from around the outside edges of the die cut.

I then cut the tag with the Tim Holtz Cabinet die one kraft embossed with the SwissDots folder and one ivory.  I used the Crop a dile to make a hole in the top.  I adhered the sewing machine die cut to the tag with 3D foam tape.

I ran a length of red twine through the hole and it's ready to be attached.

The HB diecut was received in a swap so I have no credits.

It is very cute but a lot of work which explains this is the first time I have used it.

St. Pats Birthday Card

My friend requested a St. Patrick's Birthday card for her aunt again this year. You can check the ones I have made in past year!

I found a vintage St. Patrick's image of this lovely lass with a gorgeous green dress and a fan in hand.

I added the sentiment in the top left hand corner and printed it in color.

It was trimmed leaving a white border then adhered to a layer of green with 4 tiny lavender brads in each corner.

This was mounted onto a layer of lavender card stock then onto a white card base. I ripped the right hand side of this layer to be highlighted against the white. 

This lady is celebrating her 90th birthday.

Sunflower Birthday

A sunflower card for my niece that celebrates her birthday in September.

The photo was attached to the heavy card base.  I added a greeting with double sided tape.

I added an insert so she can remove it and reuse the card.

I am including a few cards she can use as she is a very busy mom and card making may not always rise to the top of the todo list.

August Birthdays

A couple of cards for folks celebrating August birthdays.  

 My aunt will receive this card.

 

 

A friend will receive this card.  It is one of my photo cards featuring a bright green heart tea cup with a pink rose.

 

Birthday Card for a Teen

I started with the polka dot designer paper squares which were corner rounded on 2 corners.  I layered those onto corresponding blue card stock squares.

I chose a medium blue card base.  I added a bright green designer paper layer leaving a large border.

I added a rick rack accent which involved my twisting together blue and white rick rack and then ironing it flat.  It goes right around the card and is joined under the scallop greeting.

A scallop circle in the same blue card stock with a 1 3/8 inch circle greeting in blue and white.  Adhered with 3D foam tape.  The corner rounded squares were adhered with 3D foam tape too.   This one will get there in time for her birthday.

Leaf Birthday Card

I started with a brown card base.

The designer paper is by Authentique - Seasons - Autumn Three.  It was trimmed to leave a small border.

I cut several leaves with the Tim Holtz Mini Tattered Leaves Set of Movers and Shapers.  I cut beige, copper and warm green ones which I chalked with warm colors.

I wrapped a piece of yellow rick rack on the left side of the designer paper and taped the ends to the back. I glued the leaves along the rick rack with double sided tape.

I added a Stampin Up Decorative Label greeting which edges were chalked as well.  It was adhered with 3D foam tape.

Recent Photos

I went to see Mom & Dad this week to celebrate Dad's 90th birthday. 

There was 7 of us for lunch then we headed to their place of chocolate cake.  My sister made the cake which was healthy with zuchinni and bran.  We had fresh fruit and some whipped cream to top off the cake. 

It was great to see them and Dad will have had 3 celebrations before the week is done.

Champagne was had with their friends on Friday. 

The large nativity is up with the new to me Avon Nativity figures my sister found at a thrift shop.  I connected with her at Dad's birthday. 

I got the stable last year when my niece spotted at a thrift shop.  It needed a lot of cleaning but it looks great.

I added some gold fabric to represent straw, put stars in the sky, the fused glass star I bought at the Art Gallery Christmas Store last year.  Perfect size.  Mercury glass trees in the background.

I think I could use a couple of the animals (donkey and or oxen) from the Avon set.  I will keep my eye out during the year. 

The round Silent Night ornament was purchased at the craft sale I was part of 2 weeks ago.  Works well here!

I cleared the telephone table from the clutter and it is sitting where I can see if often.

I bought a soapstone card holder at the reception at the Art Gallery on Saturday night.  I like support other artist as I would like their support for my products.

I love the cool green outside against the warm colors on the inside of the stone.

I plan on using it in my photography to add words easily.

Love the quote from Wayne Dyer that was included with the holder.

Sharing with Angie at Letting Go the Bay Leaf who hosts Mosaic Monday #57