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2 tags ... vintage enough?

I watched a Youtube tutorial by this amazing British woman & was swept away by her creativity. I had to give some of her techniques a try & these are my first 2 cards ... The one on the left (fairies) reminds me so much of Lauren. She loves fairies & the sentiment was perfect ... Don't you think that "raindrops are like fairy whispers"? The tag was made a little bit more complicated by the fact that I didn't have the flowers that I wanted (& no prima whites to alter) so I simply took some red flowers & Glimmer Misted them with Sand & Riptide. The flowers ended up coordinating perfectly. I also learned that I should trim the edge of the tag before I emboss & Glimmer Mist it. I had quite the time with getting any kind of cut. But overall for a first attempt -I'm happy.

The tag on the right is going to one of my favorite BFFs. She's a florist sprite & the tiny pearls on the bottom were saved from an arrangement that she once gave me. The sentiment is also just right for the image, "Let us dance in the sun wearing wildflowers in our hair".... The colors are copperish in appearance (& encouraged by the copper brads on the photo image [love Graphics Fairy]). I used the Allegro Cuttlebug folder to emboss the notes on the background ... even a group of crazy women need some music to dance by. I love this tag so much that I might just make another one ...

That's all for now, but I'm inspired these days so there's more to come .....

I gave a smaller tag to a friend at work (it had a cut-out with some hung beadwork) & she's using it for a bookmark. What a clever idea. I was so stuck on the idea of a tag being a tag ... but not always!

Back from Canada

We've returned from our vacation to Canada. We have so many funny stories to tell ... Ask any of us about the wonders of GPS & you're sure to hear at least one of us say, "you have arrived at your destination." Unfortunately, the location was in a sketchy section of Montreal & not at Christ Church Cathedral. So we put in another address & kept going. Emily saved us repeatedly by her fearless use of her French V skills. Who knows what we would have been eating if she didn't assure us that poulet was chicken!
The weather was very nice. The people were (with a single Dunkin Donutes employee exception) generous as we struggled with the language.
And then - the most surprising part of our trip. We arrived (for the 2nd time) in Montreal as the parade of the Olympic athletes was taking place. We had a Canadian flag thrust in our hands & ooh'd & aah'd over the beautiful Olympic medals that the athletes were proudly wearing ... What a treat!
I think that we'd each recommend the resort we stayed at if relaxation is the goal. Our 2 bedroom condo was comfortable & suited our needs perfectly. Tomorrow it's back to work with dreams of the next adventure .......

The photo is of Katie, Amy & Emily at Mont Royal. They were great travelers .... & the Canadians didn't keep them!

A Card for Sara's Swap

In Sara's swap we were challenged to design a card suitable for a "special man or woman". This card wasn't intended for any specific holiday, but I fell in love with the paper (Little Yellow Bicycle) & thought to add the gold spoon (or some had a gold fork) for interest. I'm so pleased with this card & hope that all of my "swap partners" like it, too.

Cards for April 8th class

I've decided to teach a class. Can you believe it? Hopefully I won't treat everyone like they are preschoolers as the last time I taught the kids were 3 - 5 year olds.

Here are 3 card images. There's a 4th card, but I didn't scan it in yet ...
I'd love some feedback (good & bad) ~ It was so much fun working with a single sheet of paper (from the Mariposa stack) to try & come up with alternate looks (incorporating layered embossing). When I went to pick up another pad of this wonderful paper they were sold out. I think that I'm going to come up with an alternate design using another pack of paper (maybe from the Garden Party series). It's fun to play .... gets the brain working.

Spring is in the air ... Birthdays abound within our family. We get to spend extra time together & that's always a good thing. Yesterday's party (for our youngest grandaughter) involved a cake made with cupcakes. What a smart idea! Easy to deal with (although the frosting was an intense color).

Here's the quote for today ...." Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate." Chuang-tzu

Think Spring thoughts ~

February Card

This is the card that I sent for my One Card Swap to Arizona. I was so pleased with how it came out. I love the papers from the Mariposa Collection as they already have deep, embellished colors & pop off the page. I had just received my new Take Ten & was inspired by a card that had used a layered embossing technique for the background. I thought I'd give it a try with this card. It's a technique that I know I'll be using over & over.

I'm busy these days with learning a new job - very interesting & exciting to be in the "rookie" role again.

I'm also already thinking about the April Kit of the Month. The March portfolio album seems to have been a big hit. I think I'm almost ready to branch out & teach a class ... Maybe on layered embossing???

We are focusing on trying to get the details of the summer trip finalized. I booked the airline tickets last night ... Now we need to juggle some of our hotel stays as we're coverign more ground & more days .... Doesn't get much better than this on a snow day!

Just a Little Wanderlust

I can tell that it's February. My mind starts to wander towards the "next trips" that are planned. We'll be going to Quebec during April vacation. Emily will be taking oral exams in French for her IB exams & I thought that it could help to immerse in at least visual French (I know that Canadians do not speak Parisian French). Emily (no surprise) would have preferred Paris. So - in my spare time I look at the beautiful Canadian landscapes (snow-covered) & daydream about time to read, walk, & enjoy the photos that David will be taking.
After Quebec - on the horizon is a trip to Yellowstone in July. David & I are taking our youngest daughter to see the wonders of this National Park. Actually, David is starting to mention additional National Parks (Glacier, Grand Tetons, etc). We have our rooms booked for most of the locations (staying in the park for several days). It's going to be amazing! David has been & really wanted to go back.

On the subject of card-making --> I'm thinking about ideas for the April Kit of the Month. I'll take a look at the supplies that I have & see what inspiration jumps out at me. Right now -- The Riley Moose fishing stamp is calling .... Maybe something to do with daydreaming about summer pursuits .... Hmmmm ~