Just Pictures

I've been so inspired by the  "Photo a Day" 

posts that I've seen on my favorite blogs

that I got my camera out and started shooting random things.

What fun!

I'm so glad I did it, and I encourage you to do it, too.

We have had an ongoing {2 year} landscaping nightmare,

and finally got some new trees.

We were so happy the day they were planted!

They were so beautiful!

And then all of the lower fronds turned brown and fell off.

Well, that's supposed to happen. Who knew?

A quick trip to the beach last weekend

reminded us how lucky we are to live here.

Megan is so proud of her sunglasses,

she bought them with her birthday money. 

We've started our vegetable garden and decided to add

some native flowers to attract bees.

This is Lantana.

And Mr. Gnome to watch over everything.

He doesn't do a very good job of keeping the birds away,

so you may be seeing a scarecrow picture soon.

This is what my kids do.

I have no idea what they're building,

but they sure are having fun doing it.

They run out there every day after homework

and have to be wrangled in for dinner.

Then they run out there again and have to be wrangled in for bed.

I'd like to think they're building memories,

as corny as that may sound.

Some happy little daisies greet visitors

when they walk to the front door.

And this is where the magic happens.

In all its glorious mess.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my surroundings.

I'd love to see what your world looks like, too!

A Baby Card

I know a pretty cool chic who is having a baby

and I wanted to make her a card that wasn't overly *cutesy*.

Flipping through my 6x6 paper pads I found this

adorable paper from Webster's Pages.

I just love the little wagon.

Isn't it perfect?

The flower is my attempt at one I found on Pinterest.

You can find the tutorial here.

"Savage Beauties" photo from What a Beautiful Mess

Okay, so mine's not nearly as nice,

but not too shabby for a first attempt.

I need to pick up some puffy paint and try again.

Party Time Tuesdays

is having an Anything Goes challenge this week,

so I'll be submitting this card.

Click here to go directly to PTT # 61.

How'd she do that?!

Good morning, bloggers and friends!

I love apples.

I may or may not like the way they look on my table

more than I like actually eating them.

I also have a dirty little secret.

I LOVE the black mash bag they come in!

Stay with me, I promise this is going somewhere.

Grab a piece of cardstock, some ink, and some tape . . .

Tape that mesh to your paper . . .

They make handy dandy daubers for ink.

I use a makeup sponge . . .

Ink to your heart's desire.

It's okay to be random. Random is good . . .

Look, look, look!

So fun!

I cut it into strips and layered it onto some polka dotted

October Afternoon.

You wouldn't put those patterns together?

Go ahead and try it. Jump out of your comfort zone.

You'll be glad you did.

{Original photo courtesy of Mary Littlejohn Photography}

I originally put some stickers on this little tag for the title,

but it wasn't working for me.

So I inked over the stickers, sprayed them with some mist

and then took the stickers off.

Much better . . .

The little ink dots are an idea I got from here.

She did such a fabulous job that I knew I had to try it.

You'll definitely see it again from me.

The calendar is from Mr.Holtz, from his Lost and Found collection.

We got married on Sunday, November 5th.

How did Timmy know?!

So, that's how I reuse garbage.

What types of trashcan-bound items do you use for crafting?

Products used:

October Afternoon  {Fly a Kite}

Tim Holtz Idea-ology {Lost & Found}

Tim Holtz Distress Ink {Faded Jeans} and {Festive Berries}

Grapghic 45 {Le Cirque}

DCWV {Citrus Stack}

K&Company Smash list pad {Special Occasions}

Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist {Coffee Shop}

I Love Your Smile

The Paper Variety and ScrapFIT

have teamed up for this month's challenge.

Here is the sketch from TPV:

...and the workout challenge #64 from ScrapFIT is to use numerical "list" journaling on your layout.

I must admit I was intimidated by the stars on the sketch.

So I used circles instead.

Here is my take on the sketch:

(Now that I look at it I wish I would've used stars, they would've been so cute!)

The paper is from October Afternoon, the Fly A Kite collection.

I am using every last scrap of that paper, I love it so!

I also used a lot of stickers on this layout, which I rarely do.

They just really seemed to add to the "look" I was going for.

Thanks for taking a peek, and be sure to check out

The Paper Variety and ScrapFIT!

March Blog Candy!

I just discovered a fantastic new blog - She Stamps by Cheryl.

Cheryl has a fabulous giveaway for her March followers.

All you have to do to enter is become a follower of her blog,

leave your name & info and leave a comment.

Take a look around at her projects while you're there -

you'll be inspired!

Click here for the blog candy link.

Oh, and the prize? It's MME! Wheeeeee!

You have until midnight on 3/30/12 to enter.

Good luck!

*Fabulous* - PTT #60

What a glorious Saturday morning here in sunny south Florida!

I hope your morning is just as fabulous.

Party Time Tuesdays is having a card challenge this week that is right up my alley . . .

See?!!

So I went shopping through my stash to see what I could find . . . 

The Nantucket collection from Pink Paislee is just what the doctor ordered.

I also threw in a little strip of Alla Prima,

 and that pretty Chevron can be downloaded and printed from here.

The sentiment is actually cut from two separate sheets from my K&Company Smash list pads . . . 

And that gorgeous flower is Prima, of course . . .

You should stop by Party Time Tuesdays to join in the fun!

Click here to go directly to Challenge #60.

 Products used:

Pink Paislee - Nantucket

Prima - Alla Prima

Cuttlebug Embossing Folders - Swiss Dots and Spots & Dots

Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Vintage Photo

K&Company Smash list pad - Blank and Favorite Person

Prima Gypsy Petals - Chelsea

Doodle Twine - Tangerine

Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist - Coffee Shop

Just Do It.

A few weeks ago a very talented crafter 

- soapHOUSE mama over at the Purple Mailbox -

 posted a layout using purple.

 It got me thinking about a discussion once at scrapbook.com

 where purple was decidedly the least scrapped with color.

 Which is odd, because who doesn't like purple?

I looked around my craft disaster area and didn't see anything purple, just some lonely cardstock.

So, I started digging.

Whoa. I DO have purple. LOTS of purple!

Let's find a picture to go with all of this grape goodness.

Yes. I like the way the green plays so nicely with the purple.

Now a little masking, some flower making, embossing . . . 

It's kind of a hot mess, but so am I.

So I love it!

This cute little Smash pad from K&Company gave me the jumping off point for my title and journaling:

Some Washi tape . . . 

A whole slew of purple embellies - the more the merrier . . . 

A frame I made using some Spellbinders dies to highlight the photo . . . 

It was fun working with a single color.

What's your favorite color to work with? What's your least favorite?

I scrap backwards.

If there were a wrong way to scrap I'd definitely be in the "wrong way" camp.

I don't scrap chronologically.

I go for months without scrapping a single photo.

I often pick my paper first.

I sometimes build an entire layout with no clue as to what photo it will showcase.

I use flowers and butterflies for boys.

I mix patterns and manufacturers.

I'll spend hours on a layout and then completely redo it or trash it if I don't like it.

I don't have an imaginary deadline looming over my head screaming at me to

GET THOSE PICTURES INTO BOOKS.

Because that's not what scrapping is to me.

I just like to make pretty stuff.

This page was absolutely scrapped backwards,

and I love it.

It started with the butterfly, an idea I got from my friend Chris . . . 

Then the rolled flowers. 

Which I thought looked smashing with some Prima North Country.

Hmmm, Christmas paper. Maybe I can find a Christmas photo?

Nope.

Oh wow, I'm going to need a fabulous title to go with that adorable picture.

"Let him sleep for when he wakes he will move mountains."

Perfect!

I often hide my journaling. I made a tag with Spellbinders Labels 8.

An eyelet and some Doodle Twine and it can easily be pulled out to read.

Last but not least, Washi tape . . .

A little bit of that stuff goes a long way as far as adding drama (or ooomph!).

I love it. And I need MORE.

I hope you enjoyed my little tour.

I'm curious if there are other scrappers out there a little bit like me -

who do things with pretty much no rhyme or reason?

All Occasion Card

I love making these all-purpose cards.

It can be used as a thank you, thinking of you, just saying hi, get well . . . 

You get the idea.

I threw this one together really quickly as the sketch was so easy to work with.

I followed it pretty much exactly, but the possibilities are endless and I will likely use it again.

It's Card Patterns Sketch #155.

What's Card Patterns?

An amazing weekly card sketch blog!

You should check them out, tons of inspiration to be found:

Card Patterns

But wait, there's more.

I sewed on this card. SEWED.

Well, kind of.

I sewed the buttons to the flowers.

It took more time than it should have because the needle did not want to go through those flowers.

I am happy to report that my fingers are all still here and I didn't bleed on anything.

I'm starting to think I'm in the wrong hobby for one who doesn't do well with sharp things.

Have a happy Tuesday!

My favorite snack!

I'm trying something new today.

It's not crafty, but it can be.

I want to let you know about one of my all time favorite foods.

Corn relish.

You heard me right, corn relish.

It's good on crackers. It's great with grilled fish.

It's amazing straight our of the jar with a spoon.

(It must be cold!)

My parents make it.

My sister and I have been known to smuggle jars into our suitcases when we visit.

I always thought it was some extraordinarily difficult secret family recipe

that would have me slaving in the kitchen for hours 

after growing my own corn and peppers.

Nope.

The following recipe is from the Ball canning website - freshpreserving.com.

You will need:

2 cups white vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt
4 cups cooked corn kernels (about 8 ears)
2 cups diced mixed red and green bell peppers (about 2 large)
3/4 cup diced celery (about 2 stalks)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 small)
1 Tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
6 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:

1.) PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
2.) COMBINE vinegar, sugar and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add corn, red and green peppers, celery, onion, mustard, celery seeds and turmeric. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
3.) LADLE hot relish into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.
4.) PROCESS filled jars in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

I will confess that I have not made it myself yet.

I'm afraid it just won't taste the same.

So, it's time for a trip and some extra room in my suitcase!

I do plan on trying it someday, let me know if you do, too!

Oh, and how can it be crafty?

Well if you're able to part with it you can make a tag & bow for the jar.

If you're able to part with it.