Sylvia's Simple Shots

I heard this Downy Woodpecker long before I saw him. He was pecking away at this telephone pole in the neighborhood.

It was a nice morning and I had a good walk around this area.

I am reluctant to head into the river valley after the hooligans I encountered last summer.

It is time to be somewhere else.

When We Were Sisters by Emilie Richards is the book I finished this week.

This is a story of foster sisters who lived in the same home for a while and forged a bond under difficult circumstances.

Cecilia and Robin vowed they would be the sisters they never had.

Robin has an accident which compels her to look at her life and decides to join Cecilia on a passion project about foster care.  She will be the photographer on the project. They will revisit good places and not so good places and relive experiences they have buried deep in order to move on.

Robin's husband is not impressed that he must shoulder the home duties while Robin is away. he comes to appreciate the work, the love and the investment to get to know his kids. He thought he just needed to make the money but it is not so.

Cecilia has money, fame and needs to work out who her friends are.  Excellent read.

With all the rain we have had recently the rust on the metal plates in the windows of this empty building is developing overtime.

I love the colors, the textures and over pattern the dripping water has created over time.

I had a friend over for tea this week.  

It`s been nice to have the place all put together again after the new floor and renovations.

We had a great chat and 3 hours just disappeared.

This House Sparrow was foraging for seeds in the parking lot of a nearby building.

You can see how small he is next to the tire.

He was quite hard to catch because he kept moving.  Don`t imagine there is a lot to eat on pavement.

I caught his eye. 

I was lucky to be lower than the parking lot so I was not on my hands and knees taking this shot.

It was a unique perspective.

How To: Magnetic Platform for Big Shot

Here's how I made myself a magnetic platform for my Big Shot that keeps my Frame-lits exactly where I want them. I had removed the screws from my Tab 2 of my Big Shot a long time ago. I added it to the sandwich when I needed it.  So I needed to find something magnetic which would replace the thickness of the Tab 2. During a visit to a scrap book store the other day I found Art Bin Magnetic Sheets which are designed for thin die storage.
They are just a bit bigger than the Big Shot platform so I trimmed off the tabs which left a piece just the size of my platform.  The magnetic sheet is quite thick but it just needed a bit more.  I went looking for something to add just a bit more and found that my metal cutting adapter plate was just right.
Now I can place my framelit exactly where I want it, cut as many times I want without it moving on me and my having to adjust after every cut.  It's solid magnet so there is no jumping around of the small framelits.
Works great!!

I've had some questions so here's what sandwich looks like:

1. Acrylic Clear Cutting Pad 1
2. Big Shot Multi Purpose Platform with Tab 1
3. Metal Cutting Plate Adapter
4. ArtBin White Magnetic Sheet
5. Frame Lit
6. Card Stock
7. Acrylic Clear Cutting Pad 2

Happy Cutting!

Challenge - Red and Gold

I made the card for the Challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown which is Red and Gold. We are allowed a neutral. 
I selected a red card which I cut 4.25x11 and created the fold at the top.  I added a layer of gold foil paper with Merry Christmas all over it.  I cut a Cuttlebug ornament from the same red paper.  I added a Prima gold flower and a pearl daisy confetti flower to the centre and held it all in place with a mini gold brad. I placed 3D foam tape behind the hanger and the center of the ornament and adhered it to the card front. I placed a piece of gold thread through the ornament hanger and then pulled the ends through a hole I made in the card with a push pin.  I strategically placed the hole to fall under the bough.  I cut the bough from pearl card stock with the Impression Obsession die of a branch/bough (DEI021-N).  This die requires the metal plate adapter plate to get a clean cut.  I glued it down with quick dry adhesive from a bottle with a very fine tip.

Simple Card - Red Pick Up Truck

Here's another simple card. This one has a Cuttlebug embossing folder that looks like a steel plate done in grey cardstock. The red pickup truck is color printed and cut out. The greeting accent was created with a Cuttlebug slider in black, a 1 1/8" red circle and a stamped greeting punched in 1" circle. This greeting came from a Michael's $1.50 clear stamp set but I've used it quite a bit. The accent is placed onto the ribbon and turned into the inside of the card then stapled into place.