Animal Tales

To illustrate what I have been doing the past few days --- in other words, why I haven't posted --- here is the story in some photos I took over the weekend.

Friday I drove to Omaha to see the newlyweds, who are head-over-heels in love.

Saturday we spent a few hours at the Henry Doorly Zoo to see what we could see.

Mostly we saw the animals sleeping in the sun. This big guy was so relaxed his tongue was hanging out.

Sunday we were the lazy ones, napping and taking it easy.

Monday I drove home, having to take a longer route due to flooding on I-29 in Iowa and Missouri. 

Today I set up my new computer, occasionally butting heads with the new technology.

But mostly I did the happy dance when the appropriate lights clicked, motors started whirring, and the internet came alive again. 

I have a lot of files to put back in order, but took time to take a peek at favorite blogs and facebook.

Tonight I took time to watch America's Got Talent.

Tomorrow I have an appointment to get my hair done.  What do you think, time for a new look?

But, seriously, it is time to stop hanging around and get some cards made and more photos posted!

All of these photos were taken at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska.  And, yes, there are LOTS more of them!

Thanks for stopping by! See you again soon!

A Card and Bookmark for My Aunt's 89th Birthday

My "bit of a break" has most certainly been much longer than I had intended.  I'm happy to be playing with my toys again, so I thought I would start with my aunt's 89th birthday card.  She is probably my biggest fan and I always love making something truly special for her.

This card doesn't have a stamped and colored image, though I do have plenty of them ready and waiting for just the right card.  The photograph is one I took of wild flowers along our road.  It was interesting to me that this little bunch resembled a heart.  I used one 12 x 12 sheet of K & Company Que Sera Sera double-sided cardstock.  The colors and designs are so beautiful! 

With remaining pieces of the dp I made this corner bookmark.  I've seen these in several and have been making quite a few as gifts and for the shop.  I almost always have enough leftovers from a card to make a matching bookmark.  The photo was printed smaller for this.

This is the back of the bookmark, with a birthday wish to make every day special for my aunt.

Other material used:

rhinestone swirls

Prima flowers

Basic Grey brads

heart charm

white mulberry paper

orange ribbon

shapes cut with Nestibilities

leaves from Martha Stewart punch

I sure appreciate you coming back for a visit!  You're welcome to comment and let me know you were here, then I can pay you a visit in return.

Have a blessed week!

StampARTic Challenge --- Flowers

This is the first time I've entered the StampARTic challenge.  I've often browsed this wonderful online magazine for cardmakers, which features tutorials, challenges, helpful articles and an amazing design team.  This challenge featuring flowers fell right in line with some photos I recently took.

This time of year is so beautiful with all the flowers in bloom.  Some of my favorite flowers are those that grow wild along our country road.  Early Sunday morning I grabbed my camera and went for a nice walk, coming home with dozens of photos of several varieties of wildflowers.  My favorite method for photographing flowers is with a macro lens to get a look at the marvelous world on the surface of a single bloom. 

I actually did two cards last night using photographs rather than inked images. The first one is an easel card using two photos of Queen Anne's Lace. This amazing flower is actually made up of hundreds of nearly microscopic flowers, with just one deep purple bloom in the center of the whole cluster.  Such an exquisite creation.

This photo captures the "mountains" of tiny flowers and the single purple flower in the center.

The border on the front of the card is actually three Martha Stewart border punches:  Picket fence, tulips, and pansies.  I also pierced the paper below the pansies.

A swirl of pearls and embellishment of small white flowers from the Michael's bridal department added a nice touch.  The textures of Cuttlebug folders helped me to keep with the white and one color theme. The sentiment on the inside was also from a Cuttlebug die.

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For the second card I used a photo of a blue daisy-like flower.  I don't know what it is, but I love the simple details.  The stamens are so interesting; they look like they are made of beads.  To complement the colors of the flower I added clusters of paper flowers from Oriental Trading with center brads from the Basic Grey Wisteria collection and Spare Parts from the Paper Studio.  The background dp is also from the Basic Grey Wisteria collection.  A swirl of rhinestones and a copper dragonfly top it all off.

These cards a a bit of a diversion from the Copic-colored images I so often use.  I think I like these!  Well, I have plenty more photos to use up, to you might see more cards like this!

Thanks for stopping by!  I would love to read your comments about these new cards.