Water fun

We took the kiddos to one of the city parks for some water fun.

Just out of the shot are several buckets that fill with water, and once filled dump to the pavement below. Hunter was proud of himself for being so brave and getting dumped on.

Having some serious fun!! (And no, we were not the only ones there. LOL The place was pretty well filled with kids, I was lucky enough to get some pictures of just our two.)

A fun way to spend a warm summer evening!

A wet Haileybug.

 Not a pot of gold under at the end of the rainbow, but something much better..... Hunter and......

Hailey

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Book Review- The Blessing

The Blessing [Revised and Updated] by John Trent and Gary Smalley

The Blessing powerfully communicates biblical truths on how to instill self-worth and emotional well-being into others based on these five essential elements:

• Meaningful touch
• A spoken message
• Attaching high value
• Picturing a special future
• An active commitment

In The Blessing John Trent and Gary Smalley shares countless true life stories of men and women and their personal examples of “the blessing.” While some have received a blessing, there are also some disheartening stories of those who are still seeking the blessing. The Scripture references are effective in illustrating the use of each of the five elements for extending the blessing. Also found throughout the book are the many practical suggestions serving as examples for blessing others.

Being a mother of small children, I found The Blessing to be both enlightening and informative. I can now apply what I have learned to make a difference in not only in the lives of my children, but also my husband and my friends and family. I highly recommend The Blessing to parents, teachers, spouses or anyone seeking encourage those around them.  (You will be encouraged to learn it is never too late to give or even to receive the blessing, and there is no age limit!!)

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

You too can review book for Book Sneeze, click HERE to find out how.

Pool time

I am finally getting around to using the pool pictures from last year. Hunter's Sponge Bob swim trunks always make me smile. My kids love to play, and for them adding water makes it that much better!! I feel all  warm and fuzzy  watching the two of them have so much fun.
 I used the Fancy Pants Beach Bum 6x6 paper pad.  I used a coordinating Copic marker on the designer paper pieced swim trunks on the penguin. His Popsicle was colored with Copics and then covered with Glossy Accents to make it shiny. The pennant was cut from a piece of the designer paper. Pool time was cut using the Cricut (and the Gypsy to bump the "time"together.)
 Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Darling little girl cards

I am working on my shading with the Copic markers. I wanted to add some pleats to this little girl's dress.

I added the pleats to her little skirt by using various shades of color.  I also worked on hair color, giving each one a different color. (I did not keep track of which designer papers I used, I used several 6x6 pads. My new addiction. LOL)

The hair on this one was the most difficult to get right. I had never done black hair before. I tried not get too much gray because she is a little girl after all and not an old lady. LOL I have mentioned before that I am not crazy about fussy cutting- but some times you just have to do it. :-) (It really helps to have a pair of very sharp precision scissors.)

This card is a Z fold. (The card front is folded in half, and from the top the card looks like the letter "Z".  This one got a little bling to dress it up a little.

And the last one is a 5x5 square card. I like the extra space on larger cards. I finished this one off with layered flowers and a crystal brad.
So, which one is your favorite?
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Pigeon Roost Farm

 In October we spent a couple of days enjoying the beautiful fall weather. The first day we visited a couple of Metro parks and then the second day we set off to find a couple of pumpkins. My double layout is from the visit to Pigeon Roost Farm. It is fun place to take little ones (and big ones too!) to spend the day. We saw lots of animals (they even have a camel) went through the corn maze, played in the woods, the gerbil wheels (kids get in huge drainage tubes and run around moving them around), there is  just a lot of hands on things to see and do. Then we finished up our visit by picking a couple of pumpkins.
 

I used the American Craft Campy Trails collection, I am loving the versatility of the retro colors and patterns, and using them for various themes. :-) (Don't forget you can enlarge the photo by clicking on it.)
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Hunter's Kindergarten layout

Today I have a layout for Hunter's school album. This was his very first school picture. (It is amazing how much older he looks at the end of the school year!!) I used the Campy Trails collection from American Crafts. (This collection has LOTS of green, you know i am lovin' that.) In addition to the greens Campy Trails uses an assortment of retro patterns and colors- without being "over the top." Tip:Even though the papers are  a campy theme, they can be used for layouts that are not camping related. I like how the colors add a playful feel to my layout, perfect for my little man. :- )

What do you think of  the Jillibean Soup Corrugated Butteflies? I had never used the corrugated shapes before, but this will not be the last time. :-)

The layout was inspired by Karrie Cook.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

A Book Review- Money Secrets of the Amish

This week I joined Booksneeze blog. I receive books to read in exchange for honest book reviews. My first pick was an eBook but they also offer printed books too.

Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving by Lorilee Craker takes a look into living a simpler, “greener” (as in saving money) lifestyle.

 Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving offers 14 chapters of practical hints and tips on managing money that reminds one of our grandparents’ principles.  Each chapter not only lays out the thoughts of the Amish but also has several “English” friends who are willing to share their own tips. It was also inspiring to read the author’s own experiences relating to each principle learned.

 While Lorilee writes about the steps many of us are already taking of being thrifty and saving some green, it is good to pick up some extra ideas.  I think everyone could benefit from the principle found in chapter 2- “UWMW”  (Use it up, Wear it out, Make Do or Do Without.) That, along with other suggestions for recycling, reusing and thrift store shopping helps to get the creative juices flowing on how to build the savings account. The To Do section following each chapter is a good place to start putting those lessons to good use.

I found this book to not only be educational but entertaining too. I would recommend Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, to anyone looking to improve their financial thinking.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Playing around with different way to color images

If you have been reading my blog for very long you know I tend to be quit eclectic in my paper crafting. One day I am scrapping, the next I am mass producing cards, another I am whipping up a paper crafted gift. (And I will even throw in some fabric or wood crafts every now and then. LOL)
 Today I am doing some different- yet again. :-) I want to show you the results I got from using different coloring options.
I used Papertrey Ink's Stamper Select paper and Memento ink for the following images-

Here I used Prismacolor pencils and OMS. Because the pencils are waxy I colored the flowers with a couple of different colors before blending them with the OMS and a blender stump.

Pros: Various shades and colors, bold colors, easy to work with, you can use a white eraser to clean up any stray color.

Cons: sometimes the leads in the pencils can be very soft- and breakage can be an issue

This one was done with Copic markers. 

Pros: you can layer your colors, will not "pill" you paper, nice selection of colors, coloring light over dark will not contaminate your markers

Cons: markers can be pricey, there is a learning curve with the Copics, not as readily available as other means of coloring

Next I moved on to water-coloring

Tombow, water based markers.

Pros: inexpensive, nice selection of colors, easy to use, you can buy single markers

Cons: colors tend to become muddy instead of layering, markers will transfer darker colors onto little ones, they have a tendency to leave streaks 

Here I switched to Cold Press watercolor paper and Memento Ink-

Watercolor crayons (because some of the areas are so small I used a damp paint brush to pick up the color directly from the crayon.)

Pros: reasonably priced, crayons last a verrrry long time,  you can vary the intensity of color by varying the amount of water used

Cons: more difficult to add extra shading and colors without muddying your colors, I wasn't able to use as many colors as in the other samples

** For whatever reason the ink wanted to bleed on this paper, I used the same ink and technique on Papertrey Ink paper and had no bleeding**

Watercolor pencils and blender pen (I colored directly on my image with the pencils and then used the blender pen to blend the colors. It is easier to lay down all of your colors before you start blending.)

Pros: Inexpensive, available at the Big Box stores, nice select of colors, various size sets to meet your needs

Cons: Adding more color once the colors have been blended, keeping the colors looking "clean"shading id more difficult

As you can see there are lots of ways to add color to your stamped images (and there are many I have not shown!) so have some fun and see which way works best for you.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Sunflower cards

I love this flower stamp from Inkadinkado (it is one of their new cling stamps, and it cost less than $5.) This card reminds me of the sunflower bouquets from Trader Joes. You know the ones with the blooms as big as your hand and wrapped in raffia.
 I used the Gypsy to weld a banner and a rectangle  together to get the image layer with a rounded top. To make the black layer I used the Magic Matter (smallest disk) and then used the medium disk for the card base. I usually make the standard A2 card but really like shaped cards. I guess I need to do more shape cards.:-)
 I stamped a sentiment on one of my cards and left the other plain to personalize when I am ready to mail it.

Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Beautiful butterflies

Yesterday I share two Black and white cards with a splash of color. (You can see it HERE.) I had showed how by changing one little thing (yesterday was the die cut border) you can totally change the look of your card. Today I am going to show how changing the base color will change the look of your card.
 First up is another Black and White with a splash of color-

I used Copic markers to color the butterflies, and then I went back and added some Prismacolor pencils over the markers. (This is an good way to add more color when you do not have the right color of marker. You will want to lay down your marker color first, the pencils are waxy and will ruin your markers.) 
Now look at the difference-

Same image, colored the same way and the same 1/8" black mat, but look what happens when you change the card base color.  (I did add the tip of a wing to the top of the stamped image.)
Pretty cool, huh? :-)
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~