Hickory Hill Bird Hike

Embrace what God gives ya! That's my motto as I trekked Hickory Hill Conservancy, in Cross Plains, hoping to catch sight of the elusive Pileated Woodpecker. It was not to be, for me, but the person coming down the hill as we were going up described a bird he had never seen before, and it was undoubtedly a female pileated. There was lots of tractor and chopper activity as well...and pileateds' are rather skittish birds (per my husband, I wouldn't know).

We heard and saw a number of indigo buntings, perhaps a yellow throated warbler, and heard so many sounds I wish I had had a voice recorder so we could play back and identify the birds. When I can't "shoot" birds I "shoot" wildflowers instead...so primarily I just wanted to share some fauna focused photos from last night's hike.





After the hill we ventured to the creek that meanders downtown to enjoy the trail and seek the hawk's nest I had seen on Saturday. The leaves have filled out the trees immensely in the past few days, and I could not believe that I could not find that nest - it was so plain to see a few days earlier! Oh well! More pictures...




As you can see, Kyle was bored with birding by then and preferred blasting the swarms of gnats with his super soaker, and used the cold, bubbly creek for refills. (LOL) We did spot a first...what we believe to be a hooded warbler at the end of the trail hopping around along the banks of the creek. In fact, I need to wrap up this blog entry as I plan to head back there before work in hopes of getting more identifying marks. Per the field guide behavior description - the guy we watched for some time fits this bird to a T. I am just not remembering the yellow patch around his eye - time to verify! Remember, embrace what God gives, even if it is not what you expected or hoped for!

The Little Things & Beautiful Wings

Spring really is about all the little things….things which bring me so much pleasure! The most colorful of the song birds have returned and we have been enjoying them for weeks. We have several orioles flaunting their bright orange clothing in order to attract a female that is also stunning in her more subdued, yet definite orange coloration. I have always thought we must have the best looking pair of orioles nesting on our property – for surely the female is as bright as they come! I have seen others…and they don’t hold a candle to her beauty. However, it is not to say she doesn’t have a line up of males hoping to catch her eye. In the past several days the males have gone from chasing each other in flight around our yard to outright aerial battles. I was witness to one not 12 feet from me yesterday as I was outside watering plants, and I was surprised to see such aggressive behavior from a pair of male orioles. As they almost locked “talons” the two were falling to the ground with the more dull-colored male on “the bottom” with his back to the ground. Just before hitting the ground he managed to get free and flew off. This round definitely went to our brilliantly colored male, and if history repeats itself, this male will be the beau for the beautiful lady. (If only I had had my camera, with video capabilities, to capture the action…time to wear my camera around my neck at all times when I step outside.)

In addition to the rose-breasted grosbeaks (our daughter’s favorite) and Rubies, the Indigo Buntings (shown above) returned last week. The past couple of days we have actually seen them eating on the ground under the black oil sunflower feeders. This is the first time I have witnessed this, as primarily they are attracted to our bird baths only. We also have been putting grape jelly out, and in addition to the orioles the bluebirds have been hanging out on top of the house antenna singing their beautiful song. Last night I caught a glimpse of a blue warbler splashing in our bathing rock – I love it when the warblers visit us in spring! Cardinals are also nesting outside our daughter’s bedroom window, and my prayer is that God protects them from the neighbor’s cat that I saw prowling our backyard the other night. I have not seen a cat on our property in quite a while, so I was hoping the birds would be safe, but the animals that prey seem to know when and where to find easy meals. This never makes us happy, and I wish all who let cats roam outdoors would at minimum put collars with bells on their felines.

I have wanted to share about the songbirds that brighten my life in spring, but also a layout about one of my favorite times of day – bedtime for our daughter. She and I have such fun at bedtime – we read, usually sing a song or two, act silly and laugh a lot. I know I am not exactly settling her down for sleep, but it is just too much fun to be serious about going to bed. (LOL) Dahlia from FaithSisters.com challenged us to create a layout about the little things that do matter. We pray to God for so many “big things”, but consider the little things – He hears all our prayers. I hope that the Lord will grant my prayer request and keep the cardinal, nest safe this year. We prayed that God would bring fast healing to the sore inside Abby’s mouth, self-inflicted after chewing her gums when numb from a dental appointment. She is now healed, praise God! We pray for her scrapes and bruises and many little things that are big to her. And we pray for the big things as well. What is important is that we pray with our children and let them know that God wants to hear from them on their own time as well. For Dahlia’s “Little Things Do Matter” faith discovery challenge I created this layout:

All elements are by Izzy’s Crisdam Designs, Sabry Card and Nikki Painter, all of FaithSisters.
To see other layouts created for this challenge visit the Faith Discovery Gallery.

Also, Kjoi Studios introduced a new designer today – Inspired by Dominic, and she is offering a freebie called “Dandelion Dreams”. I snatched it right away – as just yesterday Abby and I were walking a nature trail and she was enjoying all the white, fluffy dandelion heads and blowing them to watch the seeds float in the breeze.

I look forward to showing you my completed layout with this kit. Enjoy your journey and enjoy the little things in your life. God put them there for you.

Celebrating ALL Moms

Let's face it - May is the month for moms. A day is set aside to honor these valiant women for all their love and diligence in raising their children, and rightly so. Dad's get their turn next month!

On this psst Mother's Day nature reminds me that motherhood extends beyond our humanly realm - this time of year moms abound in the form of feathered and 4-legged varieties as well. I see foals suckling and scampering around the Amish farm as we visit my parents south of here. I found little tufts of fur in a clump of irises as I cleaned out a flower bed on Saturday - a sure sign that mama rabbit had made a nest there.

As we traveled to Madison's east side for dinner at Red Lobster (YUM!) on Sunday, we discovered a pond that happily provided a safe haven for a number of goose families. The pond even had little islands in the center - and I would think a goose could hardly pick a more safe place to raise their young.

A goose family with 6 goslings were patroling the edge of the parking lot and as we neared, mama goose put her head down and encouraged her children toward the safety of the water. Papa goose stood tall and warned us with a "Hissss!". So glad for the protection of the car as I rolled my window down to take pictures. It is not the best way to capture wildlife, but a wise way - I did manage several photos I love and am excited to get them scrapped. The first features Misha's Garden kit by MLW Designs, downloaded from KjoiStudios. The rich, and earthy colors are perfect for this mama goose and her gosling.

How was your mother's day? I found little notes written by my husband in "my regular places" ....i.e. taped to the back of my Sonic-care toothbrush, at church when I opened my Bible to the lesson of the day - each a nice surprise. I have yet to take pictures, but I better hurry as my toothbrush note is getting damaged from the water.

Our son made me a "magazine" at school featuring the "best mom of 2008" award and our 5 yr old made me a picture, or two, or three... (LOL) She also gifted me with some tulip petals that had fallen of the waning flowers outdoors, and of course the bright and fluffy dandelions - who could ask for more!? I hope your Mother's Day was filled with blessings as well!

Bird Hike Photo Shoot

Embrace what God gives ya! That's my motto as I trekked Hickory Hill Conservancy, in Cross Plains, hoping to catch sight of the elusive Pileated Woodpecker. It was not to be, for me, but the person coming down the hill as we were going up described a bird he had never seen before, and it was undoubtedly a female pileated. There was lots of tractor and chopper activity as well...and pileateds' are rather skittish birds (per my husband, I wouldn't know).

We heard and saw a number of indigo buntings, perhaps a yellow throated warbler, and heard so many sounds I wish I had had a voice recorder so we could play back and identify the birds. When I can't "shoot" birds I "shoot" wildflowers instead...so primarily I just wanted to share some fauna focused photos from last night's hike.





After the hill we ventured to the creek that meanders downtown to enjoy the trail and seek the hawk's nest I had seen on Saturday. The leaves have filled out the trees immensely in the past few days, and I could not believe that I could not find that nest - it was so plain to see a few days earlier! Oh well! More pictures...




As you can see, Kyle was bored with birding by then and preferred blasting the swarms of gnats with his super soaker, and used the cold, bubbly creek for refills. (LOL) We did spot a first...what we believe to be a hooded warbler at the end of the trail hopping around along the banks of the creek. In fact, I need to wrap up this blog entry as I plan to head back there before work in hopes of getting more identifying marks. Per the field guide behavior description - the guy we watched for some time fits this bird to a T. I am just not remembering the yellow patch around his eye - time to verify! Remember, embrace what God gives, even if it is not what you expected or hoped for!

Fiskars Rocks with Midnight Kisses

I love Heidi Grace's Midnight Kisses line for Fiskars, and it was the perfect product choice for an elegant tag album as a gift for a friend recently married. When I volunteered to make this album I immediately knew I wanted to use Midnight Kisses. As fate would have it, the colors of the bridesmaid dresses in the wedding was midnight blue with red accents. Coincidence? I think not!

All of the gals in our study group sent me a quote, scripture and/or message to be used inside the tag album for our friend. The hardest part of this album was typesetting everyone's messages to fit the text within the small space, and have it look uniform. Coordinating papers made creating the album itself a breeze!


In addition to the quote pages, I offered the bride several blank pages for her and her new husband to include their own favorite quotes, or perhaps scripture used in the wedding. I also used midnight blue cardstock on several additional tags for the addition of photos.


I discovered several shortcuts along the way, and thought I would share instructions here. Namely, by folding strips of patterned paper that go on both sides of the tag, not only do you save a cutting step, but it offers a wonderful finished looking edge to have the crease of the fold on the edge of the tag.


Midnight Kisses Tag Album

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Heidi Grace Midnight Kisses for Fiskars
• Definitions
• Pinstripe
• Bold Flourish
• Décor Stripe
Chipboard: Frame and Heart by Heidi Grace Midnight Kisses for Fiskars
Other: Raw Chipboard trimmed to 3x6” for front and back cover
Cardstock: plain white, Worldwin coordinating colors: Blue and Red (CBRD 12U), white embossed heart stock by The Paper Co.
Brads: Heidi Grace, Making Memories (gem brads used on front)
Ribbons: Heidi Grace Décor Ribbon Assortment -Midnight Kisses for Fiskars
Flowers: red (used “velvet” flowers plucked from a Bordeaux bush purchased at Michael’s)
Other: Binder rings, black ink
Tools: Fiskars deluxe trimmer, self healing cutting mat, craft knife and “Threading Water” border punch

How To:
1. From plain white cardstock cut desired number of tag pages to 5.75”x2 7/8”
2. Using pencil and ruler, on each tag indicate 1” mark from inside gutter margin, and ¾” mark from outside edges, both front and back of tag
3. On light blue cardstock print quotes or other text – live area for each tag page is 4” wide x 2.825”, and trim to size, inking edges in black
4. Using guide marks, position quote blocks on each tag and adhere
5. Cut one inch strips of pinstripe patterned paper, trimming into 5.5” sections
6. Crease in center and apply adhesive to floral side (note that by folding in half it eliminates a cut step and also makes flush alignment to tag easier)
7. Position stripe patterned paper onto tag, with fold going over top edge of tag (trim any excess along bottom edge of tag)
8. Trim floral paper into 2.825” x 1.75” pieces – folding lengthwise in half
9. If a brad/red floral embellishment is desired hole punch paper, add flowers with brads, flattening prongs
10. Apply adhesive to striped side, and position floral onto tag, and with fold going over outside edge of tag
11. Run red cardstock through Xyron machine, if available. Cut cardstock into approx. 1/8” strips and position over seam where striped paper meets solid blue (this offers a balance of red)
12. COVER: Trim from raw cardstock two pieces 6” x 3” and create covers as desired. Designer used:
a. From Décor Stripe paper cut red dotted pattern strip, ink edges and apply to inside margin of front cover
b. From Definitions paper trim 3” tall section of one column width, adhere to cover butting against red dotted paper.
c. Cut ¾” x 3” piece of pinstripe paper and position on cover.
d. Print tag album title on white cardstock and trim to shape of chipboard bookplate (slightly smaller than actual frame so adhesive of frame will stick to cardstock), heavily ink edges with dark blue
e. Mark holes for brads to secure bookplate, punch holes and secure bookplate, adding chipboard heart if desired
f. Apply flower to front cover if desired
g. On inside of cover, cover brad prongs with white heart embossed cardstock; apply to both covers, with pinstripe paper for the inside margins
h. Finishing Touches: Threading Water punch was used to punch ¾” strips from floral paper. Apply one strip to outside edge of tag cover, paying attention to scallop design and uniform appearance on ends
i. Apply adhesive to back of second strip and line up holes and scalloped edges, trimming ends. Burnish two scalloped pieces together. Ink outside edges.
j. Mark hole punch positioning on each page, punch, and bind album with binder rings
k. Tie ribbon on rings to finish the look.

Once I had the quotes printed on the light blue cardstock the entire album took me less than 2 hours to create - less for you now that you have these instructions. Another idea for this album would be to make 4x2.825" cards available at a graduation or other type of party, and ask guests to write a message to the guest of honor; later assembling the cards into a gift tag album! The Definitions patterned paper also has definitions for family, friendship and more, which makes it very versatile for a variety of tag album subjects. Enjoy!

ABC of Life Mini Album

Tinkering Ink is one of the sponsors in May for the Scrapbook Playground design team. (Stop by the Playground to see all the super projects the team has created!) As soon as I received an entire alphabet of large die-cut letters I was instantly inspired to create an ABC album. A while back I recieved the Signals catalog. I never buy anything, but almost always tear out a page or two to potentially inspire a future paper crafts project. One such "ABC" list of how to live came in handy for all those die-cut letters, and I created a cute mini album that would make a perfect graduation or mother's day gift.

This project consumed most of my Sunday. In hind-sight, I would have drove into Madison to purchase coordinating cardstock and skipped the stippling process. Although fun - it really added to my time. Especially since I did it twice- thinking I would only do the edges and cover with patterned paper, but then realized too much patterned paper would be distracting. SO my tip - if you want to create this project start out with cardstock in your preferred choice of color(s)! Alternating colors, versus going with solid white or black, adds a visual appeal when flipping through the book and seeing the same punched border edge take on a new color. Minor, I know, but it is fun!

Still need a quick gift for an upcoming celebration? To help you out I have written instructions. You can alter the size of the album depending upon the size of your die-cut letters. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time using LARGE letters on a layout - I rarely use monograms. I do believe I make a few more of these albums and make use of those large alpha die-cuts sitting in my stash!

ABC of Life Mini Album

Page Supplies:
Cardstock:
- 15 pieces trimmed to 5.75” x 5.25” (adjust size per the size of die-cut alphas chosen for this project)
- 28 4” circles in solid coordinating colors
- White sheet of cardstock to print out words
Patterned paper: (author used Tinkering Ink Al Fresco collection)
- 57 ½” x 5.25” strips of patterned paper in choice of pattern(s)
Sheet of die-cut alphabets
Paint (optional) – solid cardstock in white, black or coordinating color may be used
Ink – black for edging, colored for edging on “word” blocks
Pen – Sarasa .007 tip gel, black
Fonts: Social Animal (stamped look) and Candy Randy (downloaded from the internet)
Cover supplies: 3 large shimmer chipboard letters and brackets by Making Memories and Doodlebug, cut out design from patterned paper
Tools:
– border punch (author used Fiskars “Threading Water” punch
– circle cutting tool
– Binding tool – Use bind-it-all or secure with 2 O-rings

HOW TO:
1. Use border punch to trim long edge of all pieces of trimmed to size cardstock (note: use scrap paper of size being used to determine placement in border punch so that edges finish as desired. Use guide marks on punch to align each piece of cardstock in the same start position so all pages match)
2. use a stipple brush to paint cardstock if desired (eliminate this step if desired by using black, white or mix of solid colored cardstock – if mixing colors you will need 4 of each color)
3. Cut strips of patterned paper ½” wide and trim to height of album page, ink edges, adhere to each page allowing a 3/8”-1/2” margin to allow for binding, and approx. ¾” from edge of border punched design
4. Ink edges of all circles and position to overlap patterned paper strip along inside spine, leaving approximately 1/8” margin at bottom of page and along inside edge of outer patterned paper strip
5. Position all die-cut alphabets as desired – note that you may wish to tuck a “word” printed on white cardstock under an edge
6. Print words on white cardstock. Author used 48 point stamped font style for key alphabet word, and 24 point all caps for subsequent words on a page. Trim words into blocks and ink edges with contrasting color. Adhere to each corresponding letter. (Tip: author printed out a list of all phrases for visual reference to assist in assembling each page).
7. Carefully outline all alphabet letters with a fine-tip black pen.
8. Additional pages may be added to album to allow for photos. Author used black circles to be used as photo mats. Rectangular mats with rounded corners, and placed at an angle would also look nice on this project.
9. Create cover as desired. Utilizing chipboard alphas, or additional die-cut alphabets, allow for a quick design. Usiing foam 3D adhesive squares under the “b” add dimension and add interest to the cover. Print sub-title on same page as “life” words, using same font for consistency.
10. Bind mini-album as desired and enjoy!

Alphabet List:
Accept differences
Be Kind
Count your blessings
Dream
Express thanks
Forgive
Give freely
Harm no one
Imagine more
Jettison anger
Keep confidence
Love truly
Master something
Nurture hope
Open your mind
Pack lightly
Quell rumors
Reciprocate
Seek wisdom
Touch hearts
Understand
Value truth
Win graciously
Xeriscape
Yearn for peace
Zealously support a worthy cause

The Fiskars "Threading Water" border punch used as an edging for the pages in a rainbow of colors adds a very cool visual interest to this project. I hope you give it a try!

Oh My -Milestones!!

For both the child and the parent(s) - there comes a defining moment when you realize you can no longer think of your youngest child as "the baby". These past few days have been that moment(s) for our family. Our daughter has been excited about "experience kindergarten" day for weeks, and had her clothes laid out on Monday for this day.

Yesterday, she had her first REAL haircut - meaning more than a trim. This was probably most difficult for my husband, who loves her long hair. Our daughter, is excited, however, about her new look and feels very grown up. Below is a "before" photo.


During the haircut she sang made up songs, and the stylist and I could barely carry a conversation - it was too cute. We put the hair, freshly washed the night before, into a pony tail and we will mail it to Locks of Love, an organization making wigs for children experiencing disease that includes hair loss. There was no way our little girl could keep growing her hair until the required 10" pony tail- that would have trailed well past her bottom and I was not willing to deal with that.(LOL) But the 7" gathered tresses can be used to make bangs for wigs, or can be sold to help fund the making of wigs for children in need. Here, with a beaming smile, our daughter holds her pony tail.


The climax of this week, however, was today. Abby woke up, came to find me her hands clapping all the while with the biggest smile. She was so excited for "experience kindergarten" day. This is a day our elementary school sets aside for children entering kindergarten in the fall. The grade is split into morning and afternoon classes and they spend a couple of hours getting familiar with the school, classrooms, and really just having fun! Abby could not WAIT to go! Here she is - all set and ready to head out the door an hour before we had to be there. (LOL)

What threw me for a loop, however, was the very unexpected trauma that set in moments after we got in the door. She happily put on her nametag, but as soon as strangers (aka adult kindergarten aids) started talking to her she became quite shy and hesitant. I walked her to the classroom door where she absolutely balked at going in, and would not until her friend arrived that she attends pre-school with daily. Thank goodness they had paired the girls together!

Suddenly I had a child clinging to my leg and tears started to roll... the teacher came over to talk to her and encouraged her to join everyone else in a circle. Her friend was already there. Being a weeper, I could feel my own eyes welling up and I needed to get out of there! I am sure Mrs. B (who is wonderful and taught our son in kindergarten as well) noticed and explained to Abby that I needed to get to the parent meeting and she would be fine.

So off I went to the auditorium with a plethora of emotions! I felt silly - surely the only parent with teary eyes, from what I could tell anyhow. I saw a friend, who works as an aid, on my way out, and asked her to check on our daughter. Shortly after I rolled into work my friend called to say everything was absolutely fine and told me how cute all the kids were being. When I picked Abby up the teacher told me the tears stopped the moment I left the room - I figured that would be the case, but it did not make leaving her any easier. Abby was excited about her coloring projects and both girls had lots to share about their morning experiencing "kindergarten". Ah yes...they do grow up, don't they?

Fun With Cardstock!

For a patterned paper lover like myself, being assigned projects utilizing only cardstock can be a challenge! But ya know...get past the initial few seconds of thinking "what now" and the mojo sets in! Get out the inks, punches, micro-tip scissors and get creative.

Our son loves canteloupe - so when melon colored cardstock was sent to me I immediately knew I needed to chronicle our son's most very favorite food. I also noticed that my favorite coffee cup huggies reminded me of the texture of a melon - and had fun creating a vine with torn cardstock leaves.

Here are some ideas when creating a page about your child's favorite food:
1. Set up a shot - take a good photo of the food only. I keep a burlap sack around just for use as a photo prop. It made a great background, and in Photoshop I used a font that gives a stamped appearance to make it appear as though the bag was stamped for the purpose of shipping melon. Don't be afraid to use your photo editing software to try some fun techniques on your photos!

2. Visit the USDA web-site and copy the nutrition facts on your child's favorite food. Print it on a tag or piece of cardstock to include on the layout.

3. Create art to replicate the food. For a pizza a triangle "slice" dotted with circles punched from red would make fabulous pepperoni pizza! Fruit is pretty easy to replicate - think geometric shapes and alter your circle and square punched pieces to create your own fruity artwork!

On a personal note... today is the day our 5 yr. gets a real haircut for the first time, as in - more than a trim. Her hair is not long enough for Locks of Love, but we do plan to send it in to be used in creating bangs for wigs, or sometimes it is sold to help fund the making of wigs for children battling cancer.

Tomorrow she "experiences kindergarten" and is so excited about going to her future school - these are both milestones in her young life, and I admit - makes me a little sad to realize that my baby is definitely not. I mentioned this morning how I missed her being my baby and it made me a little sad to know that soon she will be going to kindergarten. She asked me why, and I said...because my baby girl is growing up and soon she will be in kindergarten. She said, "That's ok mom - I will still come home once in a while to visit and play with you" - now doesn't that sound like a kid going off to college? geesh! But it was cute how she put on her best consoling voice - kids are so fun, enjoy them while they are young!

Go GREEN!

It's Earth Day!! Are you doing anything to recognize this day? Earth Day is a good time to remind your children about the importance of good stewardship of the earth God gave us to care for. We are conscience of living for the earth everyday, but there are always improvements that can be made in our habits to help better care for the earthly resources we have been given.

As scrapbookers I think we are already of the mindset to analyze an item before it is trashed, to see if it might be recycled into a cool embellishment. I'd tell everyone to go DIGITAL and save trees, but hey - I love my paper, paint and chipboard as much as the next traditional scrapper. (LOL) Today's layout, however, is all digital and was created using a quote from my April inspiration challenge at KjoiStudios.com. This time of year I love to observe nature as it wakes up from winter. Green plants start to emerge from the brown ground, trees bud, and some of our favorite songbirds, such as bluebirds, come forth from their winter time refuge. The children are eager to spend time outdoors - Abby has been running up and down the slope near our garden a couple of times a day, just because... (LOL)

Our family has an acre to care for, and we thoroughly enjoy the birds and animals around us and do our best to help provide for them. Our wooded hillside behind our home has some bushes with dying branches. Many people would be eager to cut these out, but the branches provide an excellent refuge for small animals and birds. We do not use chemicals on our lawn - a few dandelions never hurt anyone and the flowers are good for the butterflies and bees. We also plant flowers and bushes that specifically benefit the animals for food, shelter and nesting. With the valley around us being turned into homes for humans, and the farmland behind our place on the brink of extinction for 182 homes, we do what we can on our little piece of God-given land to help care for His creation.

We became environmentally conscience more than 20 years ago when my husband and I raised parrots. Toxic cleaning chemicals were not allowed in our home - as the fumes could easily kill our birds. We turned to homemade cleaning solutions, with my husband's favorite window cleaner being made of a bottle of rubbing alcohol, 2 T. of dishwashing liquid and water. If you are interested in eco-friendly cleaning solutions for your home (which will benefit the well-being of your family as well) visit Ecocycle for ideas and recipes. We still have two parrots in our home, but we also have two children and I would much rather use safe, non-toxic cleaners around them than risk the many hazardous materials available off the store shelf.

Today the kids and I donned some green in recognition of earth day. I filled the bird baths early this morning, and we set out the "toad abodes". As I gave the flower bed in front of our home a spring cleaning yesterday our daughter discovered a toad that had come out of winter hibernation. It has become "tradition" that a toad found becomes an overnight house guest. So we added damp leaves and such to an ice cream bucket, DS found some worms and bugs, and we fitted the bucket with a screen top as Mr. Toadie spent the night in our son's room. Before school the kids released him near where he was found, with the kids both hoping he would go into the terracotta abode. (LOL) Later on we plan to hike the school prairie and pick up any trash we find, however, a spring storm is threatening our afternoon plans at this point.

Enjoy earth day - and every day be aware of electricity consumed, water usage, and trash produced. Think about one thing you might do differently. For me, it would be to make use of the canvas grocery bag a friend gave me - I need to store it in my car so I actually have it when I go to the grocery store.

"GO" digital elements used:
Sande Krieger – Embrace Life kit
Black crumpled paper, stitched green and stitches: SNT Cheryl from DigiShop talk
Alphabet – Sande Krieger and BVT Designs
Fonts: Dirty Ego, Carolyns Print

Journaling:
Boots for puddles, birds singing spring songs, bright flowers breaking through the brown ground - these first signs of spring tell me that winter is over and spring is a GO!

Livin With Dream Street

Livin' With Dream Street
For a week anyhow…as I created a “week in our life” mini album this past week using products from Dream Street’s Forget-Me-Not collection. I had won Dream Street’s chipboard album and matching die-cut sticker sheets quite some time ago in a contest. As the sponsor for the Scrapbook Playground for April, I thought it was a good time to break that prize out of my stash and use it for the “week in our life” challenge posed by Stephenie at Fiskars. The challenge and product were just the motivation I needed to create a little treasure for my family.



I admit, I need to do mini albums more as I love them when I am done. Forget-Me-Not is one of my favorite collections from Dream Street – I HEART orange and aqua as a color combo! I altered the sticker die cuts a bit to get the look I wanted for the front cover, and added embellishments. Dream Streets stickers and chipboard letters make titling easy as pie! I used Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels on the white chipboard letters – for the very first time. It was not exactly what I expected, but then I read directions and saw that I was supposed to shake well. OOPS! I will admit my “mistake” to you, but to be honest I love the mottled letter coloration, pale to darker orange with bits of shimmering gold – I think it adds interest! I shall stand by the “there are no mistakes in scrapbooking, only art happening!” motto. (LOL)
I also used Glimmer Mist on my Bazzill cardstock strip punched with my much loved Fiskars “Threading Water” punch. As you may notice, I am finding all sorts of ways to use my favorite punches. One other spot I used Glimmer Mist was on the RAW chipboard – which when sprayed onto raw gives a totally different look than when sprayed on a white coated surface. The raw chipboard really absorbs – the shimmer is muted, but it is there in a subtle way and looks really nice in person.

Here is an idea you may want to latch onto – ever have a package of paper flowers where some of the flowers are torn, destroyed and simply not viable as a flower any longer? I had one of those – and decided to salvage the two good petals by folding them in half and using them as wings on my bird. Just an idea for ya… I also dressed up my flower petals with some Stickles – gotta love me Stickles.
A few other ideas: I scanned in the monthly calendars from my Weekly Planner and duplicated 6 "Aprils" to circle the corresponding day and used as a page embellishment. I used the computer to print my subject title for each day, as well as the "Key Happenings" sub-title on cardstock, and used my Fiskars "Round and Round" squeeze punch which allows me to see exactly where I am punching the circle.
I would love to share more about other details in my album, but since I want to share it all with you I better stop typing and get my pictures loaded. I hope you enjoy this little peek into our lives. I would like to do this yearly and note how our schedules and lives change as the kids get older and get more involved.

Embrace Your Journaling

Lately I have been embracing my hand-writing, and I believe I owe much of this to the use of cute journaling blocks that are available. I have stamps to create a spot for journaling, some manufacturers are actually making die-cut journaling blocks, but I admit I am loving creating my own as well.
I love to find dingbat fonts and create blocks that match the theme of my page. Since my background is graphic arts - laying out and designing my own blocks is a piece of cake. Someone once told me I ought to sell my journaling block designs- but I am seriously just havin' fun with it. (LOL)
A few weeks ago I came upon another idea while creating the two pager above, Soaking Wet. I wanted to use the tone on tone blue design patterned cardstock by Upsy Daisy for my journailng. I also wanted to have it print within a circle shape that split across the two page seam - which was a bit more challenging than all being contained on one, and easily done on the computer. My resolution was as clear as can be...do you have one of those Sakura clear glaze pens? (if you do you are probably loving it like I do to make things glossy on your page)
I decided to use my clear pen for another purpose, and using a straight edge I drew lines on my circle halves to use as a guide for hand-writing my story. You can barely see the journaling lines on the finished layout, and it looks like I am skilled in writing in a straight line- believe me, I am not! So the next time you want to hand write and fear the inevitable downhill penmanship - get out your clear pen and make your invisible "cheat marks". (LOL)
Another tip - use a complimentary color in a fine tip pen or marker, and make your journaling lines a part of your design. I love this look too, and I must say, my family is quite happy that I am embracing my hand-writing while creating...this one computer household usually has a line up of people waiting to "get on". Hmmmm. I think I may have just come up with a topic for a new layout!
Would you like one more tip? Instead of using a ruler as a straight edge cut a piece of cardstock, or chipboard, in a width that matches the space you are comfortable writing in. Approximately 1/4" works well for me, but if I have a lot to say in a small amount of space I may cut my strip a bit smaller. Draw your first line with a ruler to ensure you start out straight, and from then on use your straight-edge cardstock strip, line it up to the ruler line and step down (or up - your choice!) your journaling lines. I always tend to have skinny strips of cardstock on my workspace, so this was a "grab it and go with it" idea a while back, and has also become a regular technique. I hope you find these tips useful - happy hand-writing!
Can you see it now? (LOL)

Apple of His Eye

What is it about daddy's and their little girls? They will do almost anything for them. As I listened to Abby laughing and giggling tonight as her dad came home from work and played silly games (ya know...kiss the piggies, allow her to squeeze his face to make funny noises...that sort of thing) I realize how important daddy's are to their daugthers. Right now it is all games, play and some discipline. Oh, and daddy is the only one Abby ever really wants to comb her long heair...

Daddy's lift their little girls high in the air to touch ceilings, or in the case of today's shared layout -reach an apple high in an orchard tree. They lift them up for protection when a strange dog approaches too fast, and someday... and it will come, this daddy will be scrutinizing the boys she brings home. As fast as time seems to fly these days...it is not that far off, and I suspect this daddy-O is going to be pretty protective. (LOL) But right now I just enjoy the laughter and the blessings that fill this home when we are all together.

Upsy Daisy papers were used in "Apple of His Eye" - yes, these are some older Daisy papers, and I did not even realize they are no longer available until I was visiting their site last week. I admit - I love this layout and I am loving my newer Fiskars tools, aka the coveted "Threading Water" punch.

A friend suggested I try out for their DT call - scary thought. I have not tried out for a mfr. team in what seems a year - after so many disappointments I have more or less developed the attitude of "let them come to me" - and although it may not happen that way with a manufacturer, that is how I landed on the three design teams I create for and it is such a blessing and honor to be asked.

So back to Upsy Daisy - one needs to use UD product. Well, I found out about this last week and there was absolutely no time to order. However, I love the three projects I did create and although not new product, I am hoping that my use and designs will make all seem fresh and appealing. I wish I could share them with you, but for now have to keep them under wraps. Wish me luck - or better yet - lift a prayer up for me! One of my biggest dreams is to design for a manufacturer, but not just any one - only those whose products truly inspire me. As I reviewed Upsy Daisy's product line I found myself in want BIG time, and the new lines coming out have birds and butterflies - oh be still my heart!

Happily Exhausted

It is finished - at least for now! I have just spent the past two weeks creating a digital scrapbook album for my parents 50th anniversary. Let's just say I need toothpicks under my peepers as I type this - not even 6 p.m. and I am nodding at the computer. Too many late nights, or should I say early mornings?, but I have managed quite a few pages. There are more candid photo pages that can be added - but for the golden anniversary party on Saturday there is plenty for guest viewing.

The plan is to run a slideshow CD in my sister's laptop, as well as on my folks digital photo frame...if I can figure out how to download onto the frame. I don't seem to have a computer hook up and the manual is not that helpful.

Mom, dad, and siblings - hope you can view these slide shows. Let me know if you see anything to edit. I know I need more copy from several of you for your individual pages. Thank you to my mother and Teresa for scanning the photos and sending more images the past few days, especially since I left a folder behind containing pertinent photos!

I look forward to seeing all of my family and many old friends at the open house on Saturday.

Dream Street Contest

Don't ya just love Dream Street? I just thought I would offer a little teaser for the April 5th upload at Scrapbook Plagyround - which utilizes another one of my favorite Fiskars border punches. Dreamstreet is sponsoring the Scrapbook Playground designers this month and of course there is a Dream Street contest too! You definitely want to get in on it!

To enter: Submit one layout/altered item using mostly Dream Street products into the proper gallery (link below) by April 30th. Rules: One entry per person Must be your own work - no class layouts or lifts You can not win back to back contests - but please enter each month, we love to see your work! Winner will be determined by the Scrapbook Playground Design Team and will be announced in the May 5th newsletter. The winner will receive a Dream Street prize package.

On April 20th you will see the design team flood the gallery with gorgeous work. I am slightly concerned that I have only one project done to date for this upload. I cannot wait to get done with my parent's anniversary album so I am free to create other things. The album is turning out great, but the project is simply too huge to accomplish in a 10 day span. It won't be perfect for Saturday, but I csn tweak after the event before it is put into book format.

I am itching to work on my Dream Street projects. I actually created a boy layout with the gorgeous paper collection I was sent - go figure! Just shows how versatile Dream Street Products are.
A while back I had won a Dream Street contest and the company was very generous with their prize package (did ya hear that? You HAVE to give the SBPG contest a go!). They sent me their Square Chipboard mini album package as well as some pre-done cardstock stickers that "peel and stick" for a perfect background. I have a "Week in Our Life" album all sketched out, journaling done, most pictures taken - and I really just cannot wait to assemble this project for the 5th. The stickers are perfect for those who don't have a lot of time to scrapbook, but want a pretty finished project. Since I will be short on time to get 3 more projects done for the 5th these little shortcuts will be handy. My album will be 16 pages total, and I only have 4 sticker pages, but an entire package of coordinating papers in my winnings - it could not get easier - I am sure of that! I look forward to sharing it with you all.

In the meantime...I had to take a breather from my digital album project yesterday. If I am too tired I just nod at the computer, so I needed to move to my traditional scrap space for a while. The PaperCrafts card call deadline was yesterday, and darn did that sneak up on me! I really had wanted to create some cards with my Fiskars products for the call and managed to whip out a few. Kimberly Polson, for Fiskars, has this incredible line out in gorgeous colors featuring brown and teal- some of my favorites. I also was dying to try my new Butterflies 2 Ultra ShapeXpress template - and walah! Here are a couple of my "break time" card creations, the second features Cloud 9 Designs.





Of course my cards may not get picked for publication, but that is ok. I am really just trying to build a Fiskars portfolio should they, being headquartered down the road, ever be looking for a graphic artist or designer down the line. What a fun day job that would be, huh? (hint, hint Fiskars - I am for hire!) (LOL)

Simply Cardstock

Over spring break I scrapped - A LOT! I have been so eager to share my cardstock layouts with you, but needed to wait until April 5th and the upload date for the design team at the Scrapbook Playground. Check out what other designers have done!

Simply Cardstock was our sponsor and they provided a generous amount of Bazzill Cardstock in gorgeous colors. They also gave us some office style tags, gorgeous die-cut edge tags that I am dying to know who makes, and pretty ribbons. Thank you Simply Cardstock!

My favorite layout of the entire break was one made of, you guessed it, simply cardstock - and adorable Magistical Memories birds that I just love to use. Making the nest was so much fun - gathering the skinny scraps off my workspace and cutting them into short strips to weave into a nest. I felt very much like a bird! (oh, never mind!)
Anyhow, "Tree Climber" features photos taken over several years - but of Kyle always doing the same thing. I certainly did not want a layout about tree climbing in every annual album, so by combinging them it makes a powerful statement of an activity he likes to do - when the tree is just right.

I want to share my other cardstock projects - I created three layouts total and three greeting cards. As you can see, I am making the most of my Fiskars border punches. I have used "Leave it to Weaver", "Threading Water" and "Lacy Days of Summer" in these projects. Enjoy!

Conversations with Kids

Conversations with your kids - do you journal them? Do you scrap those treasured conversations for a memorable keepsake? The years of discovery, probably through age 6 must be some of my favorite memories of time spent with our children. They are so full of questions, learning, maybe not quite pronouncing a word correctly, and sometimes they ask profound questions. Many times the phrase "from the mouths of babes comes truth" is all to apparent as they share their most honest thoughts in an open way. For our son I have journal snippets of conversations, things he said. I was not scrapping back then, but somewhere I have those treasured words in a journal. Our daughter is more fortunate in that I began scrapbooking when she was young. I started a digital 8x8 mini album a long time ago to record our talks. The album is called "Conversations With Abby", and I expect I have at least two more years of capturing amusing and profound conversations on paper. This will be a treasure of an album, and I hope you will consider starting one for your children if you have not already done so.

This week I scrapped one of those overheard conversations between our son (shared above), when he was age 5, and our neighbor girl. It was one of those moments when as a parent, you overhear a conversation, and your heart leaps for joy. It is a moment when you realize that as you teach and sometimes wonder if they get it, that they really do. It was an awesome conversation, not intended for my ears, but one I was thrilled to share.

In the NOW time, I experienced another one of those conversations this week (April 1), this time with our five year old daughter. Here is how the story goes:
Bedtime…
Abby asked me if her friends knew who God was. I replied, “I am sure some do, but some probably don’t, but you can tell them.” “I’m scared.”
“Scared of what?”, I asked. “Telling my friends about God.”
“That’s okay,” I said, “you can pray about it and ask God to help you.”

Two story books later and it was time for prayers. Abby told me she wanted to pray alone instead of with me, and asked me to leave. I asked her what she wanted to pray about, and she said she wanted to pray to God about telling her friends about Him.

Next day… (4-2-08)
I pick up Abby and another friend from afternoon pre-school. It was sunny and the car was warm, so I had the windows cracked. The girls both wanted their windows down as far as they would go. With the wind blowing and their hairs going wild they were having a great ol’ time laughing and feeling the wind – as only 5 year olds can do. Abby’s friend held her hand by the window and said, “Thank you, Lord, for the wind!”
Abby, with a sound of shock in her voice said, “Lord? You mean you know God?”
“Well, yeah!” said her friend, in a “well of course I do!” tone. (LOL)
Abby was all excited and she replied, “My whole family knows God, too! Me, dad, mom and Kyle - isn’t it great!” And then both girls returned to being silly and enjoying the wind in their faces.
Of course I just kept driving with a smile on my face, taking in the conversation, the tone of their voices, and laughing with them at their silliness in the wind. Now, the perfect photo would be these two girls in the back seat of the car with the wind blowing their long hairs all over the place. Still trying to figure out how to capture that - since I am driving. I think I may need a friend to drive with me someday and take over the wheel!

Hey, remember a short while ago I was excited to share that Scrapbooks, Etc. had printed a thumbnail of one of my layouts in their most recent issue? Well, today I discovered in their e-mail newsletter that my layout, "Flirt with Red" is front and center of their newsletter - knock me down with a feather!!! Thanks to my Fiskateer friend Melita for pointing it out, because honestly, I have so much on my plate right now I would not likely have opened the newsletter.

What am I doing, you may wonder? Of course it is scrap related. My parents celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in 8 days. I JUST started a digital presentation for the celebration party - but not a boring presentation. It is a digital, beautiful scrapbook. I was absolutely blown away by the appreciation collaboration kit that FaithSisters bestowed on their creative team. When I made the last minute decision to do a digital album I had to start opening the zipped files that I had not even peeked at yet, and was blown away. To keep my project from getting out of hand I chose a small portion of digital elements to be used in the album. 12 pages down and probably 50 more to go. So I better stop blogging and get into my Photoshop! I can't wait to share the album when I am done. Thanks for stopping by and taking a moment to walk with me on my journey. Scrap those conversations along the way that make you smile, or scratch your head. (LOL)